Vonovia opens a craft academy: new opportunities to combat the shortage of skilled workers!

Vonovia opens a craft academy: new opportunities to combat the shortage of skilled workers!

On May 19, 2025, the housing company Vonovia opened its new craft academy in Berlin. This academy was founded to meet the increasing need for qualified specialists in the construction and housing industry. There will be a shortage of around 450,000 qualified specialists in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2024. In addition, 38 percent of the vacancies could not be filled, which illustrates the need for action in the education sector. With this initiative, which was ceremoniously inaugurated by Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, Rolf Buch (CEO Vonovia) and Ruth Werhahn (CHRO Vonovia), Vonovia wants to actively combat the shortage of skilled workers and create prospects for people starting out in the profession.

The craft academy has an area of ​​around 3,000 square meters and offers space for up to 220 trainees per year. The focus of the training is on the areas of energy and building technology as well as future technologies such as heat pumps and photovoltaics. These technical training offerings are not only necessary to support the company's strategy for the energy transition and decarbonization of the building stock, but also to inspire young people to pursue careers in the industry. In 2022, 2.86 million 20- to 34-year-olds in Germany had no formal qualification, which represents an additional incentive for the academy to offer qualification measures.

Diverse training and further education offers

There are currently almost 100 trainees working at the craft academy. These learn professions such as plant mechanics, electronics technicians, tilers and painters. The academy's trainers attach great importance to intensive support of the trainees and prepare them comprehensively for their exams. In addition, over 3,500 participants are trained every year in further training courses, which, in addition to the classic trades, also include qualifications for fitters and helpers.

The academy not only focuses on technical competence, but also on promoting soft skills. These include courses in communication, German, mindfulness, stress management and de-escalation training. This holistic training is intended to ensure that future specialists not only have the necessary technical knowledge, but also acquire social and communication skills that are of great importance in everyday working life.

According to [Landlord Guide], Vonovia plans to hire a total of 2,800 new employees this year. The establishment of the craft academy plays a key role in successfully implementing this growth strategy and counteracting the challenges of the shortage of skilled workers. The academy becomes an important part of Vonovia's corporate development and at the same time offers young people the opportunity to start a future-proof career.

Overall, the opening of the craft academy in Berlin shows that Vonovia is determined to actively look for solutions to the shortage of skilled workers and to pursue innovative training approaches. The academy therefore represents a future-oriented step towards sustainably strengthening the craft industry.

Further information about the academy can be found on the official [Vonovia] website.