Step by step towards a more welcoming culture

Step by step towards a more welcoming culture: this was the central concern of the second discussion on the topics of securing skilled labour and immigration, which took place this afternoon in the town hall at the invitation of Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig. Various institutions were represented, including the Technical University, the Federal Employment Agency, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Chamber of Crafts, the Industrial Association, the Ministry of the Interior, the Saxon Commissioner for Foreigners, the Foreigners' Advisory Council, the city's Commissioner for Foreigners and the Jewish community.

"Our aim is to create an atmosphere in which everyone in Chemnitz feels comfortable and at ease," says Lord Mayor Barbara Ludwig, who began by taking stock of the AKZESS project. This project is a simplified administrative procedure designed to facilitate access to the labour market for foreign skilled workers. The target group includes, for example, highly qualified specialists, self-employed people, university graduates and doctoral students. They - just like future employers - are to receive comprehensive advice and the administrative steps are to be handled from a single source. The project was introduced by the Saxon Ministry of the Interior in response to the growing demand for skilled labour.

Since its launch in Chemnitz on 1 July 2012, 177 residence permits have been applied for. Of these, 138 were approved and three were rejected. In addition, 19 visa applications have been submitted under the AKZESS programme, of which twelve applications have been approved and one rejected to date.

More than 85 per cent of the applications were processed within the scheduled four weeks. In no case, however, did the longer processing period lead to difficulties in starting work. So far, the most frequent applicants have come from China (46), India (26), the Russian Federation (14) and Syria (14).

A second key topic was the promotion of a welcoming culture within the city administration. Measures were presented to strengthen this field step by step.

These include further training to increase the intercultural skills of employees, as well as the development of language skills and the employment of staff with a migration background. Customer service is to be made more citizen-friendly through an ordering system in the areas that work with migrants. It is also planned that the information necessary for migrants will be made available in several languages in brochures and on the Internet. This also applies to forms that are to be made available to migrants in several languages. Finally, it is planned that there will be greater coordination on migration and integration issues within the authorities. The city administration also wants to set up a clearing centre where more complicated individual cases can be clarified.

"I expressly welcome the initiative of the city of Chemnitz," explained Prof Martin Gillo, Saxony's Commissioner for Foreigners. "It's not just about skilled workers, but about people who bring their culture to Chemnitz. I am delighted that the Lord Mayor has made it a top priority that the welcoming culture should actually be lived."

"For us, the diversity of academic staff is not an end in itself, but makes science better because different perspectives enrich it," emphasised Prof. Arnold van Zyl, Rector of the Technical University.

"We have taken a step forward in Saxony and the federal government in terms of qualified immigration. By implementing this project, Chemnitz has recognised the signs of the times and is thus increasingly becoming a partner for companies in the region," said Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Managing Director of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce.