Heidenheim. Today marks the starting signal for “Wir zusammen” – the integration initiative of the German industry. Voith is one of the initiators and among the altogether 36 companies that participate in the campaign.

“Wir zusammen“ pools projects that have been introduced by German companies over the last few months, in order to help refugees to integrate into their new surroundings. The scheme aims at the long-term integration of refugees in Germany.

Voith participates in the initiative with a training scholarship to make it easier for young people to enter the labor market. In cooperation with Heidenheim Technical School, up to eight refugees can start their first year of training as an industrial mechanic with other Voith apprentices. During this time they will be accompanied by qualified Voith training experts and obtain a range of qualifications, which - depending on their previous knowledge, suitability, interest and personal development - will enable them to either continue their training into the second year, enter the first year of a different apprenticeship or go straight into a job.

“Whether the people who have come to us will be able to integrate depends mainly on their acquisition of language and professional skills. Only if they master the language and obtain expert knowledge will they be able to get permanent work. Voith has therefore decided to give young refugees an opportunity to settle in our country with the help of its training scholarship. Their colleagues at the workplace are in our opinion the best integration helpers,” says Dr. Hubert Lienhard, President & CEO Voith GmbH.

Voith has been training skilled workers for more than 100 years and is aware of the challenges presented by the training scholarship for young refugees: there are linguistic barriers, in some cases the technical competencies are insufficient and some of the young people are used to a different working and team culture. “We are aware of all of these factors. But we nevertheless want to make a contribution towards the integration of these people and open up a perspective for them. This task will require willpower and patience, but in the end all parties will benefit from it,“ states Erwin Krajewski, Head of Training at the Voith Training Center Heidenheim.

The potential participants of the training scholarship will be selected by Voith after a successfully completed internship. Their preparatory qualification will start in autumn. Since last year, a young Syrian has been already participating in the scheme. Othman Mousa came to Germany in 2014 and says: “I am happy to be here at Voith and can learn something new every day. The trainers are really a great help. I consider Voith my new family.”

For further information on the initiative “Wir zusammen” please visit: http://www.wir-zusammen.de.
Voith sets standards in the markets for energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials, transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 20,000 people, generates €4.3 billion in sales, operates in over 60 countries around the world and is one of the biggest family owned companies in Europe.*
_{* Excluding the discontinued Group Division Voith Industrial Services.}