Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to their own statements, Thuringia's economic chambers have helped 2,900 migrants with professional integration in the past seven years. About 80 percent of them are refugees from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey or Ukraine, the Erfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce announced on Tuesday. The "Promotion of the professional integration of foreign specialists and workers" (FIF) has been running since December 2015 and is a joint project of the Thuringian Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the Chambers of Crafts.
1,561 people were placed, 646 of them in a career-orientated internship, 182 in a preparatory initial qualification, 423 in an apprenticeship contract and 310 in an employment contract. Part of the support was also about stabilizing, for example, an ongoing training course. Help was given, for example, if the practical exams were not passed but the theoretical exams were not passed due to a lack of language skills.
According to the Thuringian Ministry of Labour, around 90 percent of the project was funded from state funds. The consultations are free for companies and those seeking advice.
According to IHK information, the program was relaunched this year. "The experiences from the FIF project show that many companies in Thuringia are willing to hire foreign applicants and actually benefit from it," said the IHK Erfurt. According to this, professional perspectives are to be increasingly opened up for people with previously poor prospects of staying. In addition, the prospects of people "from precarious employment or helper activities" to stay should be improved by placement in a job that meets their qualifications or an adequate training position.
