Career Start For Refugees - Companies Exchange Experiences

Start-up aid for refugees with integration into working life - many companies and institutions in the plastics industry are committed to this with specific measures. As different as the general conditions for medium-sized and large companies are: actively accepting the new challenge and at the same time looking after the next generation of skilled workers is the order of the day for plastics companies of different sizes. Difficulties that arise in practice, but also positive experiences with motivated young refugees were in the foreground at the meeting of the association platform Qualification of the NRW on September 13, 2016.

"Act instead of talk" - companies report commitment

Torsten Urban, who has been on the association's board since June 2016, was able to welcome committed and competent speakers as head of the circle. Wolfgang Oehm, managing partner of ONI Wärmetrafo GmbH, reported on his personal commitment to refugees, which ranges from the financing of language courses and the organization of accommodation to the creation of 10 additional training places. Wolfgang Oehm is convinced of the meaningfulness of this - also financially significant - commitment and appeals to all entrepreneurial colleagues to follow his example and to follow the motto "act instead of talk".

Evonik has also had a good start for many refugees. Dr. Hans-Jürgen Metternich, Head of Evonik's Northern Training, gave an overview of the Group's vocational preparation measures for the target group of refugees in 2015/2016. His positive balance: 21 out of 30 people could be placed directly in an apprenticeship, 13% in employment subject to social security contributions. Metternich also praised the motivation of the refugees and the cooperation with the vocational college and accompanying social workers.

Numerous unresolved problems discussed

The KIMW started specialized training for migrants in May. Dr. Andreas Balster, Head of the Polymer Training Center at KIMW, confirmed many of the impressions of the previous speakers. The KIMW has also had many positive experiences and is already planning with the next group.

The subsequent intensive discussion, however, also revealed numerous problems that had not yet been solved: what to do if a medium-sized company wanted to take in three refugees and no German course was held? Or: How do you deal with resistance in your own workforce against the integration of refugees? Still one of the biggest challenges remains how to support the (further) placement of refugees in other companies if they cannot find a perspective in their own company for reasons of capacity? To what extent a network like Kunststoffland NRW can help is now to be examined more closely. (kj)