Bremen Parity Education Centre's initiative "Pro Kita II" aims to combat the shortage of skilled labor in the Free Hanseatic City through a pilot project.
In Bremen, a significant staff shortage in kindergartens persists, with the employment of unqualified personnel becoming increasingly common [2][4]. To combat this issue, the city has launched the Pro Kita II program, a social initiative designed to offer vocational pathways for individuals from diverse or migrant backgrounds to become qualified early childhood educators.
The Pro Kita II program targets individuals with a migration background and a non-German educational background, providing them with opportunities to gain the necessary qualifications and alleviate workforce shortages in daycare centers. The Paritätisches Bildungswerk Bremen cooperates with around 50 kindergarten facilities, ensuring that the program has no problems finding educational institutions for the program [1].
The Pro Kita II program is embedded in the ESF project "Paths to Employment," which includes low-threshold entry and qualifications in the areas of child day care, school accompaniment, and care. Participants receive important information on financing their desired apprenticeship within the project and can improve their German language skills in specially tailored language courses for kindergarten work.
By the end of the project in mid-2025, the PBW expects around 160 participants to have come closer to their career goal of becoming an educator. Over 120 participants have already been placed as unskilled pedagogical assistants in kindergartens through the Pro Kita II program.
The program's participants are supported by two job coaches in the recognition of their foreign school leaving certificates and in the application processes for vocational schools. The successful completion of the practical phase of the Pro Kita II program was celebrated in July 2024.
However, the future funding of the Pro Kita II project is currently uncertain [1]. Despite potentially adding an additional workload for pedagogical specialists, the program has proven to be beneficial in helping individuals with great potential who would otherwise have had difficulty accessing the pedagogical field. With good practical guidance and many experiences, participants can start their apprenticeship well and contribute to alleviating the shortage of skilled workers.
For the most accurate and up-to-date information on the current status and outlook of the Pro Kita II program, we recommend consulting official Bremen city or education department websites or contacting local vocational training providers or kindergarten associations directly. The absence of direct recent details in your provided search results suggests there may not have been publicly available announcements on this program very recently.
More information about the Pro Kita II program can be found at the provided link.
The Pro Kita II program focuses on personal growth and learning by offering individuals with a migration background and non-German educational background a chance to gain qualifications in early childhood education, thereby addressing the education-and-self-development aspect. Participants receive support in improving their German language skills, finding apprenticeship financing, and navigating the recognition of their foreign school leaving certificates, all aimed at improving their chances of becoming qualified early childhood educators and contributing to personal growth while alleviating the workforce shortages in daycare centers.
