“Shaping the Future” helps qualified skilled workers from Colombia to start a new career as a nursery school teacher or early years teacher in Germany. Jonathan Koch and Paula Cots Gómez from the Federal Employment Agency explain how it works.
“Shaping the Future“ supports skilled workers from Colombia with a qualification in early years education who wish to continue their career in Germany. The aims are sustainable integration into the labour market and the achievement of state recognition as a nursery school teacher or early years teacher. Recognition is of key significance because both of these occupations are governed by federal state law. Jonathan Koch and Paula Cots Gómez head up the South America Regional Team at the Central Foreign and Specialist Placement Agency (ZAV), which forms part of the network of the Federal Employment Agency. In this interview, they speak about the process, successes and challenges of the project.
What is the objective of “Shaping the Future”?
Jonathan Koch: Our aim is to develop a project which will acquire qualified early years education staff from third countries in order to meet the increased demand of institutions in Germany. We started by launching a pilot project in Colombia in September 2024 because contacts and good applicant potential were already in place in the country. Colombia’s National Employment Service (Servicio Público de Empleo, SPE) was also interested in collaborating to organise placements in this sector. In Germany, we were able to get seven child daycare centres in Heidelberg on board.
Paula Cots Gómez: Ever since then, we have been assisting and supporting qualified skilled workers along the whole pathway. The process begins with a job application to an employer and goes on to include language training, an application for recognition, entry to Germany and starting a new career here. We also provide support to the institutions in Germany.
What stage have the qualified skilled workers currently reached?
Paula Cots Gómez: The 14 pilot project participants have been working as “qualified workers awaiting recognition” at the child daycare centres in Heidelberg since the beginning of the year. They are completing a nine-month practical compensation measure as part of the recognition procedure. They also attend a vocational language course once they have finished their work for the day.
Half of the participants will need to go on to complete 240 hours of practical experience of working with children over a period of six years. After this, we recommend the option of an adaptation period in the form of a post-qualification course which imparts additional knowledge on the basic principles and teaching styles which apply in Germany and on how to work with parents. Full recognition should then be achieved by the end of the year.
Jonathan Koch: The qualified workers from Colombia hold a degree in early years education and have therefore completed the 3 years of training required. However, they usually lack certain training contents and employability skills which are mandatory in order to work with children and young people in Germany. For this reason, and depending on the federal state in question and the occupation to which they aspire, they will need to undertake relevant compensation measures in order to obtain full recognition. The aptitude test was not a possible route for our pilot project in Baden-Württemberg because no preparation courses are available.
What issues worry the qualified skilled workers the most?
Paula Cots Gómez: Many participants have not learned a foreign language before. This is a genuine challenge for some of them. The crash language courses in the country of origin are demanding and involve extensive homework and regular exams. This means that participants need to work out at an early stage how they will be able to organise and pass the language course.
Another key question for many is when and how they will be allowed to bring their family over to join them. We provide information on entry prerequisites for family members and refer them to advisory centres. And finally there are also questions about the general prevailing conditions in Germany, such as contract of employment, health insurance, paid leave or probationary period.
How are the qualified skilled workers accepted into the project, and how do they come to Germany?
Jonathan Koch: The qualified skilled workers are recruited in collaboration with the Colombian labour administration authorities. People can register their interest with local agencies. If the basic requirements are fulfilled, a relevant list is passed on to our placement staff.
Paula Cots Gómez: We look at which criteria have been fulfilled and decide which profiles are a good match. Applicants are then invited to take part in (online) interviews. In our project, the employers themselves choose the skilled workers. They also bear the costs of recruitment. It is therefore crucial that they are actively involved from the outset.
After being accepted by the child daycare centres, the participants have about a month to sort out their work situation in Colombia and to prepare for the next stage of the process – a 10-month crash language course. Participants are awarded a monthly bursary because the courses take place on a full-time basis. An application for recognition is submitted at the same time. Entry to Germany and commencement of work at the child daycare centre follow once the language course has been passed and all visa documentation is in place.
How are the qualified skilled workers supported in the recognition procedure?
Paula Cots Gómez: In Baden-Württemberg, it is only possible to obtain recognition as a nursery school teacher. We network closely with the competent body in Stuttgart. The ProRecognition project, which is funded by the Ministry of Education, is involved too. It advises the skilled workers on the ground in Colombia. In the pilot project, this approach meant that we were able to work with the participants to prepare all the necessary paperwork necessary for the application in the best possible way prior to entry to Germany. All the applications were then sent off together. A notice imposing a compensation measure arrived only one week later.
Regular discussions with the competent body, with the employers and with local partners enable organisational issues to be clarified quickly. Important decisions can then be taken.
Jonathan Koch: The local employment agency is also involved from the very start, because we at the ZAV only support participants up until the point where they enter Germany. We network with all parties involved to ensure that the skilled workers achieve formal recognition and that they have also undergone practically related preparations which will enable them to launch their career in Germany successfully. All the steps we complete whilst the applicants are still abroad help to make the process easier. They also create security for the participants and for the employers.
What were the particular highlights for you?
Jonathan Koch: The networking was my own personal highlight. This gave us the opportunity to meet so many motivated people and institutions. They are just as interested as we are in improving the recognition process for education professionals and for institutions. At the BIBB networking meeting with the competent bodies, for example, we learned that Baden-Württemberg is piloting the Federal Ministry of Education-funded project “elma. - Elementary education modules for refresher training”.
Paula Cots Gómez: It was also particularly nice to meet the participants at individual face-to-face meetings. This gave us the chance to go through the recognition documentation with them and to assist them with the language examinations. Such personal contact bolstered trust and facilitated the further support. The joint welcome party in Heidelberg then provided a culmination – a very fulfilling moment for all of us.
How will the project continue?
Jonathan Koch: We are looking to start the next recruitment drive in Colombia in November. This will take place as part of a wider programme which builds on the experiences gathered from the pilot project. The programme will be extended to further states and will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Education. We are currently seeking interested employers nationwide who have a need for early education professionals from abroad. Two further recruitment drives in at least one further country are being planned by 2028. Ecuador and Brazil are currently under consideration.
The interview took place in April 2026. “Shaping the Future” will be continued and expanded as a pilot programme in 2026 and 2027 with financial funding from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). Participating employers will receive a reimbursement of €12,000 per qualified skilled worker to cover the recruitment costs abroad.
Further information on the financial funding: Programme "Shaping the Future“
Contact for questions: ZAV.BIPP@arbeitsagentur.de
Information about responsibility for, and details on, the recognition procedure e.g. for the German reference occupations of nursery school teacher and early years teacher is provided in the Profi-Filter here in the advisor section and in the Recognition Finder in the skilled worker section of „Anerkennung in Deutschland“.
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