Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen approached the head of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) with her plan, and, according to news magazine Focus, they may begin working together to assess whether thousands of Germans on welfare benefits would be suited to the job.
Appropriate candidates would then go on to train at a technical college before beginning work at one of the country’s day care centres where currently 14,000 pre-school teachers and 16,000 assistants are lacking.
While the plan has been welcomed by Family Minister Kristina Schröder, she warned that “the quality of the training should be carefully monitored” as childcare is a sensitive area, Focus reported.
Behind von der Leyen’s idea is the government’s plan to offer a kindergarten place for every child in Germany by 2013.
The Local/jcw
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