Chemnitz_zieht_an_Magazin_2024_englisch

Fotos: Johannes Richter
themselves to decide whether they want
to make contact or not. After all, I don’t
want to patronise them – they are adults
after all. My main concern is to make
sure that the offer is there.
account, immigration office, it goes
on and on. Just imagine: you arrive,
perhaps from Africa or Asia, where the
structures are completely different,
move into a flat, don’t even know the local
transport system – it’s not easy when
everything is new all of a sudden. I would
at least like to pick them up and then
drive them back to the training centre
so that they don’t miss out on so much.
Are you taking any other measures to
support integration?
We are currently in the process of
drawing up a concept for integration
management. We are primarily focusing
on the three trainees who arrived from
Togo and Morocco in September, and
looking at where the biggest construction
sites are. We’ll then use this information
to develop concept and process
diagrams.
At the same time, I am endeavouring not
only to integrate the young people on a
professional level, but also to offer them
things that will help them feel at home
in Chemnitz so that they will hopefully
remain with us as permanent employees
after completing their training.
This starts with me asking them what
sports they like to do, for example, and
then looking for suitable clubs for them.
There are also plans to set up a Café
International in-house, where anyone
who is interested can come together to
practise German and talk about their
cultures. But that’s not easy, of course,
as we work in shifts.
We are also currently developing a
cycling proficiency course because
the trainees often arrive here without
a driving licence and our facilities are
scattered all over the city. They often
don’t dare to cycle because they don’t
know the German road traffic regulations.
We hope that the course will give
them a little more confidence.
I’m also working on a welcome pack
with the most important information for
them to read. When you are told a lot
in a foreign language, some information
always gets lost. Medical care, local
transport, waste separation – it’s all in
there.
And what’s the atmosphere like among
the employees?
Due to the great diversity, it is sometimes
difficult to build connections between
the international staff – in many
cases we only have a single person from
any one country. Of course, I still try
and ask employees if I can pass on their
contact details if another person from
their home country joins us. Ultimately,
however, I leave it up to the employees
How did you gain your knowledge for
your new role as integration manager so
quickly?
Further training courses in the field of
corporate integration management are
rather rare at the moment, with most
focusing on the integration of refugees.
That’s why I’ve read around a lot, especially
about the laws. There are constant
changes anyway, for example in immigration
law. You really have to stay on the
ball. I also do a lot of liaising with others
in similar roles. There is now a network
of company integration managers and
luckily, I have also found competent contacts
at the Immigration Advice Centre.
And of course it’s important to take part
in the online events that are organised
on the topic. You can also make valuable
contacts there.
And the success of Heim gGmbH’s longstanding
internationalisation strategy is
something to be proud of.
Definitely! We no longer have to actively
recruit at all as we receive enough applications.
As the organiser of the voluntary
service, we also receive many international
applications and quite a few of
the graduates stay with us afterwards to
start an apprenticeship.
WEITERE INFOS:
Heim gemeinnützige GmbH
chemnitz.jobs/heim
We have employed people of the
following nationalities:
72 nations
Applications in English or German to:
bewerbung@heimggmbh.de
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