Skilled Crafts Companies

Are you a skilled crafts company interested in recruiting skilled workers from abroad?

The project “Future International Talents for German Climate Businesses”, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), offers you the opportunity to recruit skilled workers from Colombia and Uzbekistan for your company. Across nine pilot regions in Germany the project is implemented by the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH), the German Federal Employment Agency (BA) and sequa gGmbH, and has a duration from spring 2024 until the end of 2027.

Services
Participation
Skilled workers
Process
Support
Contact

Project services for skilled crafts companies

Personal Advice and Support

Individual Support
Our project team provides comprehensive support throughout the entire immigration and integration process. This includes selecting suitable candidates, arranging visa and the travel and supporting you in organizing the onboarding phase of your new employee.
Language and Cultural Preparation
We prepare skilled craftsperson in their home countries for living and working in Germany. They will learn German and receive intercultural orientation and preparation.
Comprehensive support in Germany
Once your new employee arrives in Germany, we will assist with the process of recognising foreign qualifications and organise the adaptation training programme to complete an adaptation qualification in the company.

A dedicated contact person at your local skilled crafts organization will be available to support you. If your company is located outside the pilot regions, you can contact the ZDH, which will support you with any questions regarding the recruitment process.

Conditions of participation

Originally, participation in the project was only possible if your company was located in one of these chamber regions or in the region covered by the trade association. However, as of February 2026, this rule has been amended so that the project is now open to all interested companies in Germany. Additionally, your company must be registered in the trade registry.

Grafik: Deutschlandkarte

Shared Project Costs

Funding
Participation requires a partial contribution to the overall project costs. Given the funding by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) this contribution is already reduced.
Contribution amount
The contribution for recruiting one skilled worker is €4,000. If you recruit at least two skilled workers in the same recruitment cycle from the same country, the total contribution is €2,000 per skilled worker.
Payment terms
Half of the contribution is due when the employment contract is signed and the other half once the person starts working in your company. If the employment relationship does not materialize through no fault of your own, there is no obligation to pay.

Profile of the skilled workers from Colombia and Uzbekistan

The skilled workers recruited by the project have completed at least a two-year vocational training course recognized in their home country. In addition, the obtained at least two years of relevant professional experience in one of the skilled crafts professions focused by the project.

All skilled workers participate in a German language course in their home country up to the B1 level (intermediate language ability, i.e., they can communicate simply and coherently on familiar topics and interests).

The project focuses on skilled crafts professions that contribute to the energy transition and climate protection in Germany, such as:

Electricians
Bricklayers
Concrete and reinforced concrete workers
Road construction workers
Metal workers
Plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology
Automotive technicians

Together with our partner countries, we have determined which occupations will be the focus of each recruitment cycle in order to specifically attract skilled professionals and qualified workers with the appropriate profiles.

The Revised Skilled Immigration Act: Immigration Pathways

The project is testing two legal pathways for immigration. The pathway for direct entry as a qualified worker with professional experience is an entirely new provision made possible by the amended Skilled Workers Immigration Act (FEG).

Path 1:
Recognition of a foreign professional qualifications
Skilled crafts workers enter Germany with a residence permit to have their vocational qualifications recognized. Individuals start working directly in the businesses while simultaneously completing an adaptation training qualification programme (APQ) to acquire any missing skills. This programme consists of company-based and inter-company measures and is supported by the project. After successfully completing the APQ, the individuals continue their employment as fully skilled workers with a qualification recognized in Germany. To participate, candidates must have completed at least a two-year vocational training program and hold a state-recognized qualification from their home country. They must also provide proof of several years of relevant professional experience. The foreign qualification must relate to a corresponding German reference occupation.

Path 2:
Entry as qualified worker with professional work experience
Individuals with extensive professional experience can be hired immediately as qualified workers. This requires a professional degree recognized by the government of their country of origin that is valid for at least two years. However, the focus is on several years of relevant professional experience. As part of the selection process, the project also administered a work sample test to assess the candidates’ professional aptitude. The law stipulates that a qualified worker must receive a gross annual salary of at least 45,630 euros (as of 2026). If you are bound by a collective bargaining agreement and pay the individual according to that agreement, you may set the salary below this minimum threshold.

Recruitment Process

1. Candidate Acquisition and Selection (Colombia)
The recruitment campaign and the pre-selection of suitable professionals in Colombia have been completed.

Since direct placement is the predominant approach in Colombia, the pre-selected candidates were already introduced to the companies before the language course began. Under the direct placement model, only individuals who have already received a job offer from a company before starting the language course are eligible to be accepted into the project. This is based on a placement agreement between the Colombian and German employment agencies. This process is an explicit request from our partner country, Colombia.

In addition, during the second cycle, selected applicants were also admitted to the project who began a language course directly in their country of origin without yet having a job offer. The placement process begins as soon as the applicants have reached language level A2.
1. Candidate Acquisition and Selection (Uzbekistan)
The recruitment campaign and the pre-selection of suitable skilled and qualified workers in Uzbekistan have been completed.

In Uzbekistan, however, it is possible to use what is known as “pool placement.” This means that selected applicants are enrolled in the project and begin the language course directly in their country of origin. Once the applicants have reached language level A2, the placement process begins.
2. Preparation
After the project was launched, the skilled and qualified workers began their language training, which lasted several months, in their home countries. The participants are learning or have already learned German intensively, reaching language level B1.
3. Employment Contract and Arrival
Once the A2 language level has been achieved, it is possible to sign an employment contract with the candidate placed through the project and begin preparing for their entry into Germany. For some skilled workers, this step has already been completed; for others, it is still pending.
4. Induction Phase
Upon arrival in Germany, workers go through an orientation and integration phase, with support from skilled immigration advisors.
5. Adaptation Qualification
Skilled workers who enter the country through the process of recognizing foreign professional qualifications begin an adaptation training program upon their arrival in Germany, which takes place concurrently with their employment at your company.

Skilled labour force in Colombia and Uzbekistan

Colombia and Uzbekistan offer a significant potential of skilled workers for the skilled crafts sector. In addition, Germany is viewed as an attractive destination for labor migration. Moreover, the two countries hold close and strong political ties with Germany. The collaboration with Colombia in recruiting skilled workers, for instance, is based on a longstanding agreement between the German Federal Employment Agency and the Colombian labor administration.

In September 2024, a migration agreement was signed between Germany and Uzbekistan to ease the entry of skilled Uzbek workers into Germany. The Uzbek government is keen to create legal, secure migration paths for its young population, with the German labor market offering attractive opportunities.

For more information on vocational training systems in Colombia and Uzbekistan, visit the information portal for foreign qualifications (BQ-Portal):

Colombia Uzbekistan

Project Support Structures

The participating skilled crafts organizations play a key role in the project implementation. Skilled immigration advisors are available as your first point of contact, providing consultations and continuous support during all stages of the recruitment process: from the preparation of the skilled worker in their home country up to constant support after their arrival in Germany.

If you are interested to learn more, please contact the skilled crafts organization in your region. Companies outside the pilot regions that are interested can contact the ZDH directly.

The project is implemented by the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH), the Federal Employment Agency and sequa gGmbH in collaboration with nine skilled crafts organizations and the labor administrations of Colombia and Uzbekistan.

FAQ

Welche Vorteile habe ich als Arbeitgeber, wenn ich mich an dem Projekt beteilige?

Über das Projekt erhalten Sie als Betrieb Kontakt zu qualifizierten und vorausgewählten Fachkräften aus Kolumbien und Usbekistan. Während des gesamten Prozesses werden sowohl Sie als Betrieb als auch die Fachkräfte individuell begleitet, beraten und unterstützt. Die Fachkräfte absolvieren in ihrem Heimatland einen Sprachkurs bis zum B1-Niveau und werden interkulturell auf das Leben und Arbeiten in Deutschland vorbereitet. Unterstützung erfolgt zudem beim Visumprozess sowie bei der Einreise nach Deutschland. Je nach Zuwanderungsweg wird ggf. die Berufsanerkennung initiiert und begleitet sowie ein Weiterbildungsplan für die Anpassungsqualifizierungen in Deutschland zur Verfügung gestellt. Ihre persönliche Ansprechperson bei der zuständigen Handwerksorganisation wird Sie und die Fachkraft auch nach Ankunft in Deutschland weiter begleiten und Sie bei der betrieblichen und sozialen Integration der Fachkraft unterstützen.

Welche beruflichen Qualifikationen bringen die Fachkräfte aus Usbekistan und Kolumbien mit?

Die Bewerber und Bewerberinnen müssen für die Projektteilnahme einen mindestens zweijährigen, im Herkunftsland staatlich anerkannten Berufsabschluss vorweisen. Darüber hinaus ist der Nachweis über mehrjährige einschlägige Berufserfahrung in den deutschen, gesuchten Handwerksberufen erforderlich. Kommt ein Kandidat mit einem Visum zum Zweck der Anerkennung (Weg 1 im Projekt) nach Deutschland, muss der ausländische Berufsabschluss einen inhaltlichen Bezug zum deutschen Referenzberuf aufweisen.
Kommt ein Kandidat mit einem Visum über die sogenannte Erfahrungssäule (Weg 2 im Projekt), ist ein beliebiger, mindestens zweijähriger, im Herkunftsland staatlich anerkannter Berufsabschluss ausreichend. Der Fokus liegt hier auf der mehrjährigen, einschlägigen Berufserfahrung in den letzten Jahren. Für Kandidaten, die über den Weg 2 rekrutiert werden, können Arbeitsproben im Herkunftsland durch das Projekt durchgeführt werden. Auf diese Weise kann die fachliche Eignung der Bewerber geprüft werden. Das Ergebnis der Arbeitsprobe fließt in die Entscheidung über die Projektaufnahme ein. Nur Personen, deren Arbeitsprobe positiv bewertet wird, können am Projekt teilnehmen.

Über welche Sprachkenntnisse verfügen die Fachkräfte?

Die Fachkräfte reisen mit Sprachkenntnissen auf dem Niveau B1 nach Deutschland ein.

Weitere häufig gestellte Fragen finden Sie hier im Dokument:

FAQ für Arbeitgeber (PDF)