In-house upskilling
Kräuter Mix places huge value on continuing professional development (CPD) and further training, both for employee upskilling and long-term staff retention. “It is our mission to offer our staff pathways for development they can access at our rural site,” explains HR manager Michael Herrmann. In recent months, Kräuter Mix has provided in-house training with a focus on food technology for machine and plant operators – with a state-recognized vocational qualification included to boot.
What was different about this training program, which the company offered for the very first time, was that it was specifically targeted at production staff who had been with the company for at least three years, had no professional vocational qualifications or were career changers and who wanted to further their education. In total, eleven members of staff registered for the free course, which took place during working hours. “Our goal was to keep the whole thing as simple as possible,” explains Michael Herrmann. “The classes took place on site at our company, and we were able to offer our employees 100% pay thanks to a further education program run by the German Federal Employment Agency.”
Over the course of six months, the participants engaged in a total of nine weeks of block instruction taught by a lecturer from the Bavarian Business Educational Institute and intended to prepare the staff for the exam set by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Meanwhile, in-house trainers Jens Schubert and Bernd Meyer were on hand to help the course participants. The employees were tested on what they had learned in a written exam as well as having to demonstrate their practical knowledge and skills in a spoken examination at the production facilities that they operate as part of their work at Kräuter Mix.
Despite some nerves, all eleven employees successfully completed their training, receiving their certificates as well as a state training grant of 1,500 euros. In addition, Kräuter Mix paid each examinee an additional bonus of the same amount to recognize their hard work and also thanked them with a dining voucher. “It’s not just the employees themselves who benefit from the training program: we as a company have gained eleven highly motivated and now qualified specialists from within the company,” adds Michael Herrmann.
The successful graduates of the training program:
- Naif Aid
- Mohamad Alhraki
- Kevin Düll
- Johannes Frank
- Andreas Kohr
- Christian Kohr
- Eduard Lukas
- Stefan Scherer
- Marcel Simniok
- Sandro Simniok
- Patrick Stowasser
The Bavarian Ministry of Labor came across Kräuter Mix’s efforts while searching for professional vocational training success stories. The following film was made as part of their awareness campaign and aims to highlight in-house training for machine and plant operators: Play video (in German)