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Diversity Month, Part 7: REWE employee
A completely normal job for Katharina Ganz
by Jana Klug

From special school to a permanent employment contract: How a young woman with a mild learning disability fought her way through life in a REWE supermarket - and swam a German record along the way.

Almost immediately before her participation in the German Short Course Championships for swimmers with disabilities, Katharina Ganz received a very special phone call: the promise of a job at REWE. This was a dream come true for the 23-year-old. "She was so happy that she swam a German record," her mother reported proudly.

Katharina Ganz's wish for a normal job became reality when she signed her employment contract. Full of enthusiasm, the young woman with a slight learning disability now starts work every day at the REWE supermarket in her home town of Hochheim. To get there, she needed support from people who believed in her and a strong will. She had both:

 

Preferably "something with food"

 

The Hochheim special needs pupil knew early on that working in a workshop for the disabled was out of the question for her. Instead, she wanted to "do something with food". With the help of an organisation for people with disabilities, she contacted REWE. There she met Jennifer Teichler, HR Partner for the Central Region, and store manager Mario Peic from Hochheim.

They gave Ganz the chance to get a taste of the world of work at REWE through an internship, and she was quickly able to prove herself. The internship turned into an integrated work placement (BiB). And after a year, the "normal" job followed with the signing of a regular employment contract.

The REWE team, including store manager Mario Peic, works council member Dorothe Hüsch and representative for the severely disabled Thomas Weber, developed the framework conditions within which Ganz can fulfil her job in the best possible way. Weber: "REWE stands for inclusion. Katharina Ganz is a good example of this." Works Councillor Hüsch takes a similar view. For her, Katharina Ganz is an equal and fully-fledged employee who, with her charisma and likeability, is so "valuable for customers and employees".

 

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