- Organizer: Wirtschaftsförderung Jena (JenaWirtschaft)
- Campaign Period: February and March 2026
- Target Group: Students approaching graduation
- Website: work-in-jena.de
- Important Deadline: March 31, 2026, for school-based vocational training at the four Jena vocational schools
Jena, February 24, 2026 – The Economic Development Agency Jena (JenaWirtschaft) has launched a new information campaign to proactively counteract the looming shortage of skilled workers in the region. The focus is on young people who are about to graduate from school and are to be inspired by practical vocational training in local companies.
Apprenticeship Campaign 2026: Showing Paths into the Profession
The current initiative by JenaWirtschaft spans the months of February and March. The campaign thus targets the exact phase in which many students must make decisive choices for their professional future. The central digital hub of the initiative is the portal work-in-jena.de. On this platform, those interested in apprenticeships are addressed in a practical and accessible manner: around 20 different video and text interviews provide authentic insights into a wide variety of professional fields directly at the Jena business location.
Furthermore, the portal offers significant organizational value for young people, as open apprenticeship positions from local companies are automatically bundled and displayed daily. Those who opt for purely school-based training rather than the classic dual system in a company must also act quickly: the four Jena vocational schools are only accepting applications for the coming training year until March 31, 2026.
Background: Securing Skilled Workers in the High-Tech Hub Jena
There are tangible reasons why the local economic development agency is investing heavily in recruiting young talent right now. The “Lichtstadt” Jena is considered the technological and scientific center of Thüringen. Sectors such as optics and photonics, medical technology, and a flourishing digital economy significantly shape the cityscape. Large corporations, specialized medium-sized enterprises, and innovative start-ups are strictly dependent on well-trained specialist personnel to remain competitive nationally and internationally.
Demographic change and the strong trend toward academic degrees in recent years present many craft and industrial businesses with major personnel challenges. Often, attractive apprenticeships remain unfilled because school leavers simply underestimate the diverse career opportunities of dual vocational training. An apprenticeship in a modern Jena company today offers not only an above-average retention rate but also excellent further training opportunities up to master craftsman or technician level. The current campaign addresses this point precisely: it aims to break down existing prejudices and transparently show that a career in one’s hometown is both financially lucrative and extremely future-proof.
Outlook: Decisive Weeks for Applicants
For the human resources departments of Jena companies, the decisive weeks of the year are now beginning. The declared goal is to fill the offered apprenticeship positions accurately by late spring before the new training year traditionally starts in late summer. For students in and around Jena, this means: those who inform themselves now on work-in-jena.de and actively send out their application documents currently have the best chances of securing an apprenticeship in their absolute dream profession.
Regional actors from politics and business hope that the bundled visibility of the campaign will firmly root young talent in the “Lichtstadt” after school, rather than letting them migrate to other economic regions.
We wish all school leavers much success in finding their profession and a successful start to their upcoming professional life!
Source:
JenaWirtschaft starts 2026 apprenticeship campaign
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.