Project "Integra Mittelsachsen"

With the "Integra Mittelsachsen" project, the district is launching a new approach to counter the shortage of skilled workers, strengthen local integration and reduce bureaucratic hurdles. Together with partners from business, education, social affairs and administration, existing approaches are to be further developed and new solutions created. The aim is to sustainably promote the professional and social integration of migrants through targeted training and support, to reduce inequalities and to strengthen Central Saxony as a region worth living in for everyone.

Securing skilled workers and social integration are inextricably linked. If people are to feel at home in our region and stay for the long term, they need more than just career prospects: they need a welcoming culture and intercultural competence in companies, administrations and the social environment. This is precisely where the Integra Mittelsachsen project comes in by

• focusing on regional companiesin the economic focus area, strengthening them in a targeted manner and raising their awareness of intercultural openness.

• in the focus area of education, designing practical and needs-based qualification paths and accelerating recognition processes.

• in the focus area of social affairs, supports associations and organizations in promoting openness, networking and low-threshold encounters and actively involving civil society.

• in the focus area of administration, facilitating access to public authorities through digitalization, cooperation and clear structures.

The district of Central Saxony has diverse potential, supported by committed, experienced stakeholders. However, as a small-scale rural district, it is feeling the consequences of demographic change particularly keenly: a shortage of skilled workers, emigration and structural challenges are shaping the outlook in many places.People are needed to shape the district of Central Saxony with new ideas and make this region their home, fill it with life and actively help shape its future. This was the impetus behind the idea for Integra Mittelsachsen as a model project with exemplary character for structurally weak regions. It took on concrete form and was ultimately successful in the federal "Future Region" competition. The project is supported with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE).

We are currently in the middle of the two-year development phase, which will run until the end of December 2026. The aim of this first phase is to develop a viable future concept for the district of Central Saxony. Integra Mittelsachsen will then move on to a three-year implementation phase in which the developed concept will be tested and expanded. The focus is on sustainability and equal opportunities as central guiding principles. In the long term, the aim is to achieve sustainable, resource-saving solutions and fair opportunities for participation for all people here in Central Saxony.23 May 2025 saw the official launch of the project with the kick-off event at the Central Saxony district administration office. Numerous partners from administration, business, education and civil society came together. The event showed that there is a great deal of interest and a willingness to work together, with regular exchanges and topic-related workshops planned throughout the two-year development phase. Accompanying data monitoring will help to gather information, identify data gaps and derive specific needs.

Integra Mittelsachsen took the next important step with the stakeholder analysis workshop. In group work, the project partners identified potential target groups and stakeholders and assigned them to different categories. The lively exchange opened up a variety of perspectives and allowed for a holistic approach. In the following months, the project will put together concrete packages of measures that will be presented to the network in spring 2026 and form the core of the district's future concept.