Jacqueline Adams was almost 50 years old when she began her partial qualification as a trained sales assistant at REWE in May 2023. The registered nurse had already experienced a lot in her professional life - including in retail. Doing another apprenticeship now? Go to school? Study? The Berliner hesitated briefly. Today, she is happy with her decision: "Maybe you try harder, especially because you're no longer 20."
one: School or market - where do you feel more comfortable?
Jacqueline Adams: What a question! In the market, of course. Practical work, contact with people - that's my thing. A job where I sit at a desk all day would not be for me. But of course, school is a must. After all, I'm doing a demanding apprenticeship, including an IHK exam.
one: What motivated you to do another apprenticeship after many years in the profession?
Jacqueline Adams: My dream job since childhood was to be a nurse. I also trained and worked in the profession. But at some point I couldn't continue for health reasons. After that, I worked in the insurance industry, in retail and finally as a bus driver. To be honest, I wasn't initially planning to do another apprenticeship at the age of almost 50. But when I found out that the qualification at REWE only takes a few months and is paid, I changed my mind. Because I want to do more in retail than just stocking goods.
one: You successfully completed the short training programme, consisting of two modules, some time ago. You then extended it and are now completing a full apprenticeship, including the IHK qualification. Why is that?
Jacqueline Adams: "If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it properly," I said to myself. With an IHK qualification, I have something in my hand. It makes me independent - even though I feel very comfortable at REWE and would definitely like to continue working here. But who knows what will happen in a few years' time? Incidentally, almost everyone in my training group decided very quickly to complete the entire programme.
one: How old are the other group members?
Jacqueline Adams: Three have already turned 50, the others are in their mid-30s. We are a great team, help each other at school and have a lot of fun together.
one: Is it difficult to learn when you've been at school for so long?
Jacqueline Adams: Admittedly, it doesn't come naturally. I have to do a lot at school, but I enjoy it. And that in turn motivates me to keep going. The good thing is that I'm under less time pressure than many young mums or dads who have to look after their children on top of their job. My stepchildren are grown up and my wife is very understanding when I need more time to study, for example because I have a test coming up soon. Not to forget: We have a great lecturer who supports us intensively and makes learning easy.
one: Your favourite place in the market?
Jacqueline Adams: I work in a large store run by a saleswoman. There's always a lot to do. Everyone has to do everything. I particularly like sitting at the checkout. You have direct contact with the customers there. But I also like "pulling cardboard", as we say. In other words, keeping the shelves tidy and putting goods away. As a "night owl", I prefer to work the late shift, which means until 11 pm. In any case, I'm very lucky with "my" store: I have nice colleagues and a boss who you can talk to about anything.
one: How do your family and friends react when they hear that you are doing another apprenticeship?
Jacqueline Adams: Praise and understanding from all sides! Especially my mum and my youngest brother, who also happens to work at REWE in Kiel, are super proud of me. I'm glad I made the decision I did.
Back to working life
The shortage of skilled labour is reflected in falling numbers of applicants. At the same time, there are around 1.5 million people who are unemployed and low-skilled, i.e. who have not completed vocational training. This is precisely where the Recruiting Centre's pilot project comes in: Together with the Federal Employment Agency, local job centres and educational partners, long-term unemployed and low-skilled workers are being trained for sales jobs in REWE and PENNY stores as part of a partial qualification (TQ).
We wanted to know from project participants how the project has helped them get back into work. We asked retailers, district managers, store managers and HR partners how it is helping them locally to combat the shortage of skilled labour. Employees from the Federal Employment Agency and training providers explain how they support the project.
