Landesinitiative Fachkraft im Fokus © Andreas Lander
More than 200 participants, nearly 50 Welcome Centers from all over Germany represented, two days full of networking and engaging content: That was the 11th National Welcome Center Network Meeting on May 7 and 8, 2026, in Magdeburg. We at WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt are very pleased to have hosted this year’s meeting and would like to sincerely thank all participants for their contributions and the lively exchange.
Photos | Video | Press Release (May 18, 2026)
Nationwide networking and the sharing of experiences were at the heart of the event. On the first day, during a “gallery walk,” all participating Welcome Centers introduced themselves with poster-style profiles and engaged in conversation with one another. This once again highlighted the impressive diversity of the Welcome Centers—for example, in terms of the stakeholders involved, their catchment areas, and the services they offer. The centerpiece of the second day was a series of thematic workshops, which took place in two sessions and were summarized in a plenary session at the end:
- Welcome Structures in the Workplace – Challenges in Companies: Welcome structures as a central theme and a decisive success factor for sustainably retaining skilled workers.
- The Key to Sustainable Immigration and Social Integration: Finding Solutions Together—Thinking Ahead on Sustainable Immigration and Integration.
- Digital contact zones: New dynamics of professional support, using migration work as an example. Enabling and shaping digital formats for new approaches, relationships, and strategies in migration counseling.
- Language and Professional Development in Integration: Opportunities, Challenges, and Funding Options for SMEs.
- Between Arrival and Staying: Success Factors for Retaining (International) Students and Graduates in the Region.
Staff members from the WelcomeCenter Saxony-Anhalt and the Welcome & Connect Center Osnabrück designed the interactive workshops together with speakers from various institutions across Germany. The groups generated numerous ideas and shared perspectives on the work of the Welcome Centers. At the same time, participants discussed current challenges and developed potential solutions.
Two keynote presentations and a panel discussion on the immigration situation provided further expert insights:
- Patrick Paquet, Head of the “Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia” Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs, and Inclusion in Brussels, spoke about current developments and initiatives aimed at securing and promoting the mobility of skilled workers at the European level. These include the EU Talent Pool and the Skills Portability Initiative.
- Entrepreneur, university professor, and futurist Prof. Dr. Lothar Abicht spoke on “The Skilled Workforce Situation Today and the Day After Tomorrow—With and Without Immigration.” The presentation vividly illustrated the many ways in which immigrants make an indispensable contribution to our society.
- The subsequent panel discussion featured, alongside Prof. Dr. Abicht: Susi Möbbeck, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, and Equality of the State of Saxony-Anhalt; Dr. Gunilla Fincke, Department Head at the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs; Dr. Cornelia Schu, Executive Director of the Expert Council for Integration and Migration (SVR) gGmbH; and Dr. Christian Pfeffer-Hoffmann, Executive Director of Minor – Projektkontor für Bildung und Forschung gemeinnützige GmbH. It became clear once again: Germany relies on the immigration of skilled workers from abroad. For this to succeed, existing legal options must be implemented in a way that is tailored to specific target groups and takes a holistic approach.
In addition, the federal group of Welcome Centers introduced itself; this group meets regularly between the annual network meetings and ensures a continuous exchange of knowledge and experience. Another highlight was the summaries of the event days presented by illustrator Anja Maria Eisen and poetry slammer Samson. In addition, there were welcoming remarks from Petra Grimm-Benne, Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, and Equality for the State of Saxony-Anhalt; Sandra Yvonne Stieger on behalf of the City of Magdeburg; and Sebastian Patze on behalf of the Magdeburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), on whose premises the event took place. Radio and television host Susi Brandt emceed the event on the first day. A group walking tour through the center of the state capital rounded out the program.
We hope that the participating Welcome Centers were able to take home many helpful ideas, and we look forward to the next Federal Network Meeting in 2027 in Munich.
Click the link below to view a selection of photos from the Federal Network Meeting.
Watch our video from the Federal Network Meeting.
Our detailed press release (May 18, 2026)