104 WHAT'S THE STORY People Business
Margit Hutner, Hutner Training AG: "The generation Y has brought new needs and values into the corporate world. Knowledge is no longer obtained in-depth, but merely Googled. However, the best knowledge can be drawn from the experiences we have made."
years, depending on previous educational background) or the shorter shop assistant training. According to the German state institute for vocational training, trainees - mostly women - earn 665 Euros in their first year, 742 Euros in the second, and 850 Euros in the third. However, companies in agglomeration areas often pay more. Peek & Cloppenburg pays its trainees 750 Euros in the first year, 850 Euros in the second, and 1,000 Euros in the third. Relocations expenses and rental allowances are possible upon consultation. Many companies are willing to add sales commissions and are more than happy to hire their trainees after the apprenticeship. "We hire 90% of our trainees. That's an investment in our future", Michael Müller from Zur Blauen Hand in Trier explains. The reputation of trainees within companies is on the rise too. "It is increasingly difficult to find good employees. It is easier to
Michael Müller, Zur Blauen Hand: "We didn't have to think about social competence in the past; it was self-evident." 114 style in progress
build up employees right from the start than to elaborately recruit them later", says Anja Rössler from BTE. Breuninger also focuses on its own junior employees. "Good employees are our plus", Christian Witt, Breuninger's director of corporate communications, states. "A company has three ways to differentiate itself: service, product range, and store atmosphere. Good counselling is what differentiates us from our rivals and from the mono-label stores." Promotion Prospects
The promotion prospects after an apprenticeship are diverse, even without a university degree. The possibilities include jobs as first vendor, deputy, and department manager. When secondary school graduates decide to enter the fashion industry, they often choose the three-year training to become a certified commercial assistant or even a career with a master of commerce certificate. This possibility combines various elements: phases of on-the-job training alternate with study phases in, for instance, a commerce academy. Trained retail salespeople and shop assistants can also obtain commercial assistant and master of commerce certificates if they choose to pursue further education. This opens up possibilities at mid-management level. "The content of training and further education will be focused even more on professional usability", Manfred Mroz, the director of LDT Nagold Fachakademie für Textil & Schuhe, predicts. His academy traditionally educates individuals for the retail industry. Margit Hutner from Hutner Training AG, a training academy serving the retail trade, confirms how important it is for companies to offer its employees promotion prospects: "We believe it is vital to fill key positions correctly and to develop them accordingly. This does not always involve a management post, a department head, or a purchaser. It is important to create new roles within the company to retain sales talent." Andreas Teiml from Garhammer has observed that the promotion prospects are not utilised by everyone: "We would love to support more junior employees and give them
additional responsibilities. Sadly, the willingness from their side is not always there." The Hunt for Good Applicants
The majority of companies present themselves on their own Internet platforms and on trans-regional websites. Alongside schools, other important recruiting tools are job forums and career fairs organised by industrial and trade chambers. "We recruit many apprentices from our pool of interns", Andreas Teiml from Grahammer in Waidkirchen explains. "Approximately 30% to 40% of our interns return as apprentices." The mid-sized Bavarian family-owned company, which has roughly 400 employees, hires six to eight apprentices per year. "If the situation allows, we hire all interns", Teiml adds. The competition is fierce when new branches are about to open. When Breuninger opened its new store in Düsseldorf, the de-
Manfred Mroz, LDT Nagold: "The content of training and further education will be focused even more on professional usability."
Christian Witt, Breuninger: "A company has three ways to differentiate itself: service, product range, and store atmosphere. Good counselling is what differentiates us from our rivals and from the mono-label stores."
partment store hired more than 350 employees in one go. "Our human resources team conducted more than 1,000 personal interviews", Christian Witt, Breuninger's director of corporate communications, reveals. "We chose a two-level recruiting process. Our new director for the Düsseldorf branch, Andreas Rebbelmund, was introduced to the press in January 2013. We also communicated that we need more employees and supported that statement with an advertising campaign." As the South German company is perceived as an attractive employer, many of its new team members were recruited from local competitors. Shop assistants from stores such as Aigner, Louis Vuitton, Eickhoff, and Karen Miller opted to switch to the new department store in the Kö-Bögen complex. Social Skills Instead of Pythagoras
Which skills does a young person need to be a successful salesperson? Despite all the hysteria caused by recent education surveys, Angela Rössler from BTE experienced that her members are not too interested in grades when it comes to recruiting sales personnel: "Many members are willing to support apprentices with private tuition to ensure they manage to make their way through vocational school." There seems to be a general consensus regarding the assessment of school achievements. "Passion for fashion, empathy, the ability to think on your feet, and enthusiasm for the product - all these factors are more important than