Chemnitz_zieht_an_Magazin_2024_englisch

Group structures can make perfect
sense for a company – for example, to
spread out the economic risk, to optimise
production processes or to separate
operational and administrative parts of
the business. However, factors such as
flexibility and speed often suffer in these
environments. “Unfortunately, these
are precisely the demands the market
places on technological developments”,
says Karsten Schulze. He is one of
FDTech’s five founders, all of whom had
previously worked in structures like
this within the automotive industry.
Until 2017, that is, when they created a
company that aligned with their requirements
for adaptable further development
in the field of mobility. Their vision:
self-determined mobility for everyone.
Anytime, anywhere. Today, the company
specialises in automated driving,
devising processes, methods and tools
and developing algorithms for automated
driving functions. FDTech is just as
flexible as it is in its core business when
it comes to recruiting qualified personnel.
Just six years in, it already has 175
employees, including 25 students and
trainees on dual training programmes.
Thirty of them have international roots,
covering a total of 14 different nationalities.
And the upward trend is continuing.
Schulze sees an advantage in the
international specialists’ high level of
motivation. “It starts with training and
extends to the energy they put into
their everyday working lives.” People
with roots in other cultures are often
highly educated and highly motivated.
“Many people in this country could take
Fotos: Ernesto Uhlmann
a leaf out of their book”, says Schulze.
Now, you might think that FDTech
operates in an industry where international
specialists can rest on their
laurels somewhat and communicate
largely in English. “Not at all”, replies
Schulze. “Of course we are bilingual in
the company, but a good knowledge
of German is a must for our staff with
international roots. In our customer-facing
environment, most meetings are
held in German. And you also need to
be able to communicate well in your
life outside of work.” FDTech provides
support in the form of German courses
with a local service provider, among
other things. Saba Abdollahi adds that
the company is also on hand to help
with finding accommodation, getting
visas and naturalisation. The 33-yearold
Iranian completed her degree in
Biomedical Engineering at Chemnitz
University of Technology and joined the
FDTech team at the start of 2020. Germany
was her first choice, followed by
Australia and Canada. “Order, security,
the quality of the degree programme
and, above all, the country’s democratic
values were the deciding factors
in the end”, she says. But her start in
Germany was anything but easy. “To
open a bank account, you need confirmation
from the immigration office. This
requires a registration certificate, which
in turn requires an address. However,
you need a bank account to get a flat
– and the cycle starts all over again”,
says Saba, who would like to see better
organisational support for international
skilled workers. “It really hurts when
you realise how high the demand for
skilled workers from abroad is and how
INTEGRATION IS NOT
A ONE-WAY STREET
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