WHAT'S THE STORY
I n s pi r i n g P eo p l e
THE HUNT IS ON!
Skilled workers are in short supply. To summarise the problem in short: the old are retiring, while the young show little interest in these professions. Why today’s battle for talent must be fought by other means.
Oliver Schneider is Managing Partner at TFE Recruitment Experts alongside working as a trainer and consultant. “Skilled workers are scarce, which is why they are increasingly sought after by external personnel consultants,” the expert explains.
Text: Ina Köhler, Martina Müllner-Seybold, Kay Alexander Plonka, Nicoletta Schaper. Photos: Interviewees
TEXTILAKADEMIE MÖNCHENGLADBACH
Digital Vocational School Textilakademie Mönchengladbach, which opened in autumn 2018, sets new standards in commercial-technical vocational training. It bundles the vocational education for pupils from eight federal states at one location and is regarded as one of the most modern educational institutions in Germany. Content is communicated via smartboards and a cloud-based learning environment. Every student is supplied with a notebook during block seminars. “We pursue the topic of digitisation on three levels: infrastructure equipment, teachers and their didactics, and education of the trainees,” says Managing Director Detlef Braun. The associations of the Rhineland and Northwest German textile and clothing industries have invested 20 million Euros in the project. The new campus is located in the immediate vicinity of the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, whose workshops can be used by the trainees. “The textile industry has undergone decades of structural change with all its negative consequences,” Braun explains. “We need to upgrade our image, especially with regard to skilled workers. Essential factors include the quality of education and access to good vocational training.” Mönchengladbach is a shining example. In the future, the institution will offer more advanced training courses, as well as technician and master classes. It is also planning the construction of a new guesthouse. Photo: Textilakademie NRW gGmbH
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style in progress
ADDRESS SPECIALISTS LIKE EXECUTIVE MANAGERS
Classic recruiting measures are mostly ineffective in empty labour markets. Oliver Schneider, Managing Partner at TFE Recruitment Experts, explains why sought-after specialists need to be addressed like executive managers. An Executive Search for skilled labour - isn’t that a bit expensive? Isn’t it much more expensive not to be able to fill a specialist position or to fill it poorly? After all, skilled workers are in such high demand because they hold key positions in companies. You simply can’t afford to save on these positions - and that should be reflected in the search. Think about how much time has often already been spent addressing specialists in the classic way - via advertisements and such before turning to external professionals. Your own personnel department doesn’t work for free! And don’t forget that the reputation within the industry suffers when everyone else knows that a company can’t find people for months... Are today’s specialists spoiled? No, I wouldn’t say that. I experience most of them as diligent and so involved in their companies that they don’t even read job advertisements. When we call, most people tell us that they are in an active employment relationship. A few days later, however, many come back and ask whether we can talk. Only an external consultant can offer this level of confidentiality. As company X, you simply cannot call the skilled workers of your competitor. How acute is the shortage of skilled workers and what do these people value? In segments with a structural shortage of skilled workers, the only way to achieve success is the direct approach via the employer or a personnel service provider. There simply aren’t any people on the market. So-called soft factors are becoming increasingly important decision criteria. The salary isn’t all-decisive. Modern company and management structures are a must, not only for so-called Young Professionals.
