Education - Structural change projects on the way or firmly planned
Of the federal funding for structural change in Lusatia, around 99 percent of the planned funds totaling around 6.7 billion euros have been firmly earmarked. This was announced by the Brandenburg State Chancellery on Tuesday. According to the statement, 56 measures with a volume of around 3.8 billion euros have already been approved for Lusatia since August 2020, of which almost 2.8 billion euros have been firmly committed. The major projects include, for example, several infrastructure projects, including the double-track expansion of the Lübbenau-Cottbus railroad line and the planned Innovation Center University Medicine Cottbus (IUC).
120 structural change projects initiated by the state
According to the information provided, around 120 projects have been initiated by the state for Lusatia to date. Through this funding arm, 68 projects with an estimated total investment volume of around 1.7 billion euros have been approved by the Lusatia Interministerial Working Group (IMAG) as eligible for funding. Of these, 30 projects worth around 600 million euros have already been approved or partially approved, and 45 million euros have already been paid out for 21 projects.
In the smallest Brandenburg district of Oberspreewald-Lausitz, 18 projects totaling around 420 million euros are planned, according to the State Chancellery at the "Cabinet on Site" on Tuesday. Of these, five projects with total costs of around 67 million euros have been approved or partially approved - including a workshop building for the Neue Bühne Senftenberg and the development of the Spreewalddreieck Lübbenau industrial estate.
Oberspreewald-Lausitz becomes a training region for skilled workers
In Schwarzheide, in the vicinity of the chemical company BASF, an inter-company training center and a boarding school with 60 places are to be built - as a modern teaching and learning location for companies in the region. Over 80 companies have already expressed their interest in using the services offered by the training center. The project is currently in the planning phase. It is being supported with up to 120 million euros from structural funding.
According to Brandenburg's head of government Dietmar Woidke (SPD), the district is increasingly developing into a location for education, business and science as well as a health region . "The region is gaining a new trademark. Young doctors from Germany and abroad are being trained here, and we urgently need them as junior staff in our hospitals and medical practices."
More than 70 stakeholders already want to participate in the development of a digitally networked model region for Lusatian health. The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) is to become a central cooperation partner of the IUC.
The FamilienCampus Lausitz in Klettwitz near Senftenberg (Oberspreewald-Lausitz) is to become a central training location to secure skilled workers in the healthcare sector. In future, more specialists for medical and care facilities and services are to be trained there. Around 200 students are currently studying at the campus. They are trained as surgical or anaesthetic assistants. In the medium term, a center for youth welfare, prevention and health is to be developed there. Sana Kliniken Niederlausitz is a close partner in this project.
The district is also at the forefront as an educational location: more than 60 students started a teacher training course for primary education at BTU Senftenberg in the winter semester of 2023/24. The new course was designed, set up, staffed and launched in less than a year. The regional and practice-oriented course has been specially developed to counter the shortage of teachers in rural areas. According to the ministry, an additional 5.21 million euros will be available in 2023 and around 7.1 million euros in the coming year to expand teacher training capacities in the state of Brandenburg.
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Source: www.stern.de
