Indian trainees: fresh wind in Bremenian craft!

Indian trainees: fresh wind in Bremenian craft!

Vegesack, Deutschland - The German craft is lacking young people, especially in important areas such as the butchery and the bakery. In order to counteract this problem, three companies from Bremen-Nord and one from Bremerhaven launched a pilot project that employs Indian trainees in these professions. The companies involved include the Engelbrecht bakery from Bremerhaven as well as the buthrmann, Rudolph and Lenes Bio Backstube from Bremen-Nord.

Herbert Dohrmann, chief master of the Bremen meat guild, brought the idea from Baden-Württemberg to counteract the greatly sunken training numbers. In the past ten years, the number of trainees in the professions bakers, butchers and specialist sellers in the food trade has decreased by around 60 percent. In 2024, about 64 percent fewer young people started training in these professions compared to 2014. Andreas Meyer, general manager of the Bremen Chamber of Crafts, speaks of a difficult situation, since despite the efforts of the companies, there is often a negative association with jobs among young people in Germany.

integration of the Indian trainees

The Indian trainees who learned German intensive German for six months before they arrive were carefully prepared for their integration. The companies have invested in the integration of these trainees and, for example, offer support in the housing facility and in the event of authorities. The trainees live in shared apartments and receive the necessary help to quickly get used to the new environment.

An Indian trainee, Sanam Rumar, wants to become a specialist seller in the food trade with a focus on butcher. He emphasizes that the quality of training in Germany is significantly higher compared to India.

The Indian trainees were trained interculturally and learned German to prepare for life in Germany. Dr. Tobias Mehlich, General Manager of the Chamber of Crafts Ulm, emphasizes the urgency of the influx of trainees and specialists, since in the training year 2024 in the Ulm region over 2,700 young people started a manual training, but remained vacant.

For the future, up to 80 other Indian trainees are planned to further counteract the shortage of skilled workers in various trades. The Magic Billion agency is looking for potential trainees in India; Interested participants have to go through a six-month German course and pass a test at B1 level in order to receive a visa. Aditi Banerjee, CEO of the agency, describes the program as an opportunity for young people to build a future in Germany.