Securing skilled workers in the care sector is a priority for the Rhineland-Palatinate state government. The implementation of the new skilled workforce strategy will begin in 2025. On November 6, 2025, Minister of Social Affairs Dörte Schall presented the new "Rhineland-Palatinate Nursing Skilled Workers Strategy 2025", which is to be implemented by 2028. All partners in the strategy, including the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society, have agreed on goals and measures in the areas of skilled worker qualification, skilled worker recruitment, skilled worker retention, digitalization and innovation. The packages of measures are now being fleshed out in regular working meetings in order to meet the increasing demand for qualified nursing staff. Prof. Dr. Nicole Seiler and Prof. Dr. Esther Berkemer represent the Department of Social and Health Care at HWG LU, in particular the primary qualification nursing degree course, in the area of specialist qualification. The topic of specialist qualification in nursing is considered from various perspectives. The requirements for qualification are presented and how training, further education and studies in nursing can be further developed in order to meet future challenges. Among other things, the strengthening of academic nursing training is seen as an important building block for making the nursing profession more attractive to a broader target group. The integration of extended skills with a view to curative activities in the areas of chronic wound care, people with diabetic metabolic conditions and the care of people with dementia increases the relevance of nursing studies.
Dr. Andrea Kuhn, Head of the Health Research Network at the HWG LU, has been involved in the MASTD's nursing specialist initiative for many years. This became visible at the university through the series of conferences on health promotion and prevention in nursing and the PRO*PFLEGE certificate course, among other things. Following her involvement in the development of the new skilled labour strategy, Dr Andrea Kuhn will now lead the sub-working group on skilled labour retention at the request of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Transformation and Digitalization to support its implementation. Within the university, she will be supported by the Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI) and the Institute for Employment and Employability (ibe). Staff retention is the essential factor in counteracting the dramatic loss of well-qualified specialists and keeping them healthy and happy in their jobs. The strategy focuses on the areas of health promotion and occupational health and safety, work organization, leadership, employment conditions and framework conditions in the care sector. Taken together, this results in valuable building blocks for new, better working conditions, for New Work in the care sector.
Further information: Rhineland-Palatinate 2025 strategy for skilled nursing staff
Expert contact:
Prof. Dr. Nicole Seiler, M.A.
Dipl. Pflegewirtin (FH)
Professor of "Nursing Science and Clinical Nursing"
Department of Social and Health Care (FB IV)
enicole.seiler@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 hwg-lu.de
