City of Mönchengladbach Successfully Attracts Kindergarten Staff Members
Mönchengladbach, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has been proactive in addressing the shortage of early childhood education specialists in its daycare centres. Over the past few years, the city has implemented several measures, including participation in the QiK project, offering remunerated practice-integrated training (PIA), and recruiting educators from Spain.
- Participation in the QiK project: The QiK project, aimed at people without completed vocational training, offers a two-year practical training in a daycare centre plus theoretical instruction. This project has been successful, with great satisfaction reported among providers and participants.
- Remunerated Practice-Integrated Training (PIA): The PIA programme provides paid internships or practical training periods integrated with educational programmes. This approach allows trainees to gain hands-on experience while receiving financial compensation, making the profession more attractive and accessible.
- Recruitment of educators from Spain: To address local shortages of qualified specialists, Mönchengladbach's daycare centres actively recruit early childhood educators from Spain. Since 2020, 32 educators from Spain have joined the city's daycare centres, with 18 still working there five years later.
These combined strategies have significantly improved both the number and quality of early childhood education specialists available to daycare centres in Mönchengladbach. The city's team leader for personnel recruitment, Christoph Cleophas, describes the service-oriented approach of the city, including information events in all districts, mediating internship places, and providing an apartment for the first six months upon arrival for educators from Spain.
Klaus Röttgen, head of the Department of Children, Youth and Family of the city of Mönchengladbach, attributes the success to a combination of measures. By the end of 2024, more than 700 early childhood education specialists had been hired in Mönchengladbach. The PIA concept resembles the dual training system: participants work 20 hours per week in an institution and additionally attend a vocational college.
Despite these successes, Röttgen emphasizes that the city still needs new and motivated educators. Interested individuals can contact the hotline for people interested in kindergarten careers at 021 61/25 34 84. These strategies, while not specific to Mönchengladbach, are part of broader efforts in German childcare services development and workforce planning. For more detailed or updated information specific to Mönchengladbach, a targeted local government or daycare association source may be needed.
- To foster personal growth and support education-and-self-development in its residents, Mönchengladbach offers remunerated Practice-Integrated Training (PIA) programs, enabling trainees to gain practical experience while earning a salary.
- The local government of Mönchengladbach invests in the education-and-self-development of its citizens through initiatives like the QiK project, which provides a two-year practical training and theoretical instruction for individuals seeking a career in early childhood education.
