Schwäbisch Gmünd/Berlin (sv). On Friday, April 26, Klara Geywitz, Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Construction, presented the funding certificate to the representatives of the participating project municipalities at the kick-off event for the fifth funding period of BIWAQ (Bildung, Wirtschaft, Arbeit im Quartier). The city of Schwäbisch Gmünd is one of a total of 47 cities throughout Germany to receive funding from the ESF-Plus project (European Social Fund, with federal and EU funds).
The city of Schwäbisch Gmünd has already participated in the BIWAQ project twice in the past. In December 2023, Schwäbisch Gmünd was awarded the final contract for the BIWAQ V - ZEIT (Zeitenwandel - Einheit - Integration - Teilhabe) project, which will run until 30 June 2026. The aim of BIWAQ V is to increase the employability and sustainable integration of the long-term unemployed and/or people with a migration background into the labour market, primarily in the construction industry, skilled trades, gastronomy and household-related services. What is new in this funding period is that the focus is on women, young people aged 18 and over and people aged 55 and over. At the launch event, Federal Minister Klara Geywitz described BIWAQ V as an opportunity that "opens doors for people for whom many doors were often closed in the past." BIWAQ V is intended to supplement investment-based urban development measures, which create the conditions for spatial participation in the neighbourhood, with projects that promote and stabilize the social and cultural infrastructure.
The implementation of BIWAQ V in Schwäbisch Gmünd contributes to social cohesion, the mixing of milieus and the reduction of labor shortages in the named sectors through targeted qualification and the supply of workers. The project objectives and content can be divided into the two fields of action "Sustainable integration into employment" and "Strengthening the local economy". The first field of action is primarily implemented in Oststadt and Hardt, while the second field of action involves adding the Altstadt district to the two neighborhoods. The city's economic development department is in charge of the project together with the Office for Family and Social Affairs. Cooperation partners are, among others, the Technische Akademie e.V., the Gmünder Volkshochschule e.V. and the a.l.s.o e.V.
"Thanks to the interdisciplinary composition of our team, we have the opportunity to offer a variety of (further) qualifications and thus improve the matching between employees and employers in times of a shortage of skilled workers through our proximity to the local economy," said Inga Adam, BIWAQ V project manager at the Schwäbisch Gmünd city administration's business development department. Information about the project and current (further) training courses can be found at https://biwaq-gd.de/.
The "ZEIT" project is funded as part of the "BIWAQ V" program by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction and the European Union via the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus).
