“Shaping the Future” offers insights into training and careers on November 17th
Anyone who enjoys working with children and is interested in a career in childcare can find out more on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at the Justus Liebig House in Darmstadt. The City of Darmstadt is hosting its second annual "Shaping the Future" training fair there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The focus will be on the various pathways to becoming an early childhood educator and the career prospects in Darmstadt's childcare facilities.
The fair is aimed at students from comprehensive schools, vocational schools, and grammar schools. It is also intended for adults who are seeking a career change or wish to enter the field of childcare as career changers.
Information on training and career entry
Numerous providers of childcare facilities from Darmstadt will be presenting themselves at the training fair. They will introduce their fields of work and be available for personal discussions.
Visitors can learn about different training and access routes and discover the diversity of childcare options in Darmstadt.
The participating vocational schools for social work provide information about course content and prerequisites. In addition, trainees share their own experiences of daily training and entering the profession.
This means the fair offers both young people before choosing a career and adults wishing to change their career an opportunity to get information firsthand.
Advice on part-time training and career change
In addition to childcare providers and vocational schools, other institutions offering advisory services are also represented.
The unions ver.di and GEW provide information on collective bargaining and labor law issues. Those interested can, among other things, learn about the general conditions of employment in the education sector.
The job center is also participating in the fair. Its advisory services focus on topics such as part-time work opportunities and vocational training programs.
These offers are particularly interesting for people who want to reorient themselves professionally or who need to combine training with other obligations.
Mayor Akdeniz opens the fair
The official opening of the training fair will take place at 11 a.m. by Mayor Barbara Akdeniz.
She sees the event as an important opportunity to provide information about the different pathways to childcare.
“With this information event, we are creating an important service that provides practical information about training and access routes in childcare facilities in Darmstadt,” explains Akdeniz.
She particularly welcomes the participation of numerous organizations, which allows visitors to gain an overview of the different facilities and employment opportunities.
"For people who enjoy working with children and are looking for a meaningful, creative profession or workplace, the training fair is a very good platform," said the mayor.
Second edition of the training fair
The "Shaping the Future" training fair was launched in 2026 by the specialist committee for childcare and family and is now taking place for the second time.
The event is being organized primarily by committee members Uschi Plötz, Maik Schünemann and Maria Späh, as well as the childcare department in the youth welfare office of the city of Darmstadt.
The aim is to bring interested individuals together with training institutions and potential employers, and to highlight the different entry opportunities into the teaching profession.
The most important data
Event: Training fair “Shaping the future”
Focus: Training and career entry as an educator
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Official opening: 11 a.m. by Mayor Barbara Akdeniz
Location: Justus Liebig House, Darmstadt
Target group: School pupils, career starters, career changers and people interested in working in childcare.
Offers: Information on training pathways, training content, career entry and employment opportunities
Advice for: childcare providers, vocational schools for social work, trainees, ver.di, GEW and job centers
Other topics: Part-time training, vocational training, and issues relating to collective bargaining agreements and labor law.
Organization: Specialist Committee for Childcare and Family and the Childcare Department of the Darmstadt Youth Welfare Office
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip)
