"Social and professional integration"

Hof youth workshop receives seal of approval for the "JobCoaching" project

Auf dem Bild sieht man Angestellte der Stadt Hof und Teilnehmende des Projektes JobCoaching — Foto (Stadt Hof): Auf dem Bild von links nach rechts gemeinsam mit Teilnehmenden im Projekt: Oberbürgermeisterin Eva Döhla, Thiemo Tratzmüller (Fachbereichsleiter Jugend und Soziales), Dr. Burkhard Baier (Unternehmensbereichsleiter Schulen, Jugend, Soziales und Sport), Alfred Pick (Schreinermeister Projekt JobCoaching), Christina Wendler (Projektleitung JobCoaching), Melanie Mahabar Bahar (Geschäftsführerin LAG JSA Bayern), Carolyn Schmitt (Geschäftsführerin Jobcenter Hof Stadt), Pascal Najuch-Schödel (Stadtjugendpfleger) und Gudrun Kiehne (Stadträtin)

The "JobCoaching" project at the youth workshop is an important programme of work-related youth social work. The centre has existed in various forms and funding settings since 1983. Over 2,000 participants have attended the youth workshop to date. Many young people from Hof have been successfully integrated into the labour market, while others have received important impetus for their future careers and personal lives through the programme. Over the years, the centre has developed into an important player in the neighbourhood and a mainstay of social security and stability in the city of Hof.

Mayor Eva Döhla: "The youth workshop is a place of opportunity. It helps young people to find their way and gives them the support they need to develop new prospects. The seal of approval is not only a recognition of this valuable work, but also a signal of how important it is to support young people in difficult situations and actively accompany them on their way."

Since the beginning of the year, the youth workshop has also been the location for the newly created "Mobile Youth Social Work" outreach centre. With the successful qualification and the seal of approval that has now been awarded, the centre has taken another important step in its further development. The certificate was presented by Ms Mahabat Bahar, Managing Director of the Bavarian State Working Group for Youth Social Work.

The "Social and Vocational Integration" seal of approval is part of a quality development process for work-related youth social work in Bavaria that has been established for over 20 years. It describes central core elements of the field of work in terms of content, processes and structural elements for facilities with their own operating structure, such as youth workshops.
The aim is to be included in the state funding for work-related youth social work (AJS) with the seal of approval from January 2026 and thus secure the facility in the long term, including financially. In addition, further strategic collaborations are to follow, for example with the youth employment agency, youth court assistance or the Chamber of Crafts.