An overall 55 young people from Vietnam are set to begin their vocational training in the German state of Thuringia on Monday, according to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) in the city of Suhl.<\/p>\n
They will be trained in 21 companies across 18 different professions, according to the IHK.<\/p>\n
The IHK in Suhl, responsible for southern Thuringia in eastern Germany, has been actively recruiting apprentices from Vietnam for 10 years.<\/p>\n
Besides attracting qualified young talent, the project focuses on giving trainees a thorough professional, linguistic and social preparation, the IHK said.<\/p>\n
This includes language courses, programmes to prepare participants for life and work in Germany and, for the first time, a civics course.<\/p>\n
Thuringia, along with other eastern German states, has seen birth rates decline as young people move away from the region.<\/p>\n
The regional directorate of the Federal Employment Agency responsible for Thuringia now regards the integration of young foreign nationals into the apprenticeship market as a strategic necessity.<\/p>\n
Without this, it said, it would not be possible in future to fill apprenticeship places in Thuringia.<\/p>\n
Foreign applicants were a genuine asset and an indispensable pillar for securing the skilled workers of tomorrow, it added.<\/p>\n
Of the 7,390 applicants in the state at the end of July, 1,115 came from abroad – 195 more than in 2025 and 348 more than in 2024.<\/p>\n
By the end of July, 3,600 apprenticeship vacancies registered with employment agencies and job centres in Thuringia remained unfilled.<\/p>\n