The Ministry of Families, Seniors, Women and Youth in December signed an agreement that aims to make the Altenpflege Ausbildung as attractive as possible to the youth who might be thinking of veturing into that field. The agreement brought together stakeholders from all federal states including teachers and organizations. The measures will be put in place progressively in the next 3 years until 2015.
Some of the measures put in place include:
- Increase in number of Azubi intakes by 10% each year
- Re-introduction of the 3 year Umschulung by Bundesagentur für Arbeit whose duration can be reduced for those with prior knowledge.
- Encouraging the further qualification of close to 4000 PflegehelferInnen
- Make the profession more attractive by creating a balanced mixture of employees, healthy living, performace oriented renumeration and a campaign encouraging the acceptance of the proffession in soceity
- Offer professional counselling all over the country for teachers and potential students
The main goals of the agreement are:
- Improve and increase number of schools and facilities based on demand thus increasing in number of qualified professionals in the field
- Exploit the potential of the helpers that only require further training
- Promote further training by Agentur für Arbeit and Job Centers
- Further development of the profession
- Better recognition of foreign qualifications in this field
- Improve work-life and work-school balance in geriatric care
- Better working conditions
- Facilitate campaigns to help inform the public on the imporatnce of this profession
- Improve overall conditions
- Exploit the free movement of workers in the EU
The Ministry aims to increase the numbers of professional geriatric nurses by 40% to 3,4million in 2030 as compared to the numbers in 2011.