Steven Igbinosa is Head of Incoming Goods at the PENNY Norderstedt warehouse. His colleague Basel Murtada fled from Syria to Germany in 2015 and successfully completed the partial qualification programme (TQ) at the Norderstedt warehouse with the IHK qualification "Warehouse Specialist". He now works in the incoming goods department for fruit and vegetables and would like to develop into a team leader.
one: Steven, how did you find out about the partial qualification project?
Steven Igbinosa: I was working as a team leader here in Norderstedt and found out about this project as part of a reorganisation. My boss, Verena Hammer, initially supported the project. She no longer had the time for it after her promotion and I subsequently took over, as new projects are always a good thing for me and we are struggling with the shortage of skilled labour.
one: How did you get to know Basel Murtada after that?
Steven Igbinosa: The advantage was that the colleagues who took part in the partial qualification programme here already knew each other briefly, of course. I got to know them properly during the project because I was also on site. I was lucky that I also became a member of the examination board. That's when I got to know them better.
one: Basel, when did you start your apprenticeship at PENNY?
Basel Murtada: I started my partial qualification in June 2019 and completed my IHK training as a warehouse specialist in January 2022. I was then initially employed in order picking, but I didn't see myself working there permanently. I was eventually transferred to the incoming goods department for fruit and vegetables, which I still really enjoy today.
one: And what are your specific tasks there in the incoming goods department?
Basel Murtada: Checking the incoming goods. For me in particular - I work in the fruit and vegetable area - the acidity or the size of the apple also has to be measured. It's not like in the dry goods sector, where you "only" have to look at the quantity or the best-before date. In the fruit and vegetable sector, there are also specific tests, such as checking the circumference, size or sugar content.
one: You fled from Syria to Germany in 2015. What profession did you work in in Syria?
Basel Murtada: I trained as a chef, worked in this profession for ten years and opened my own restaurant. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the war. Now I have a stable and secure job and I like working with my colleagues in a team.
one: Steven, what qualities or skills did you discover about Basel that made it particularly special?
Steven Igbinosa: Basel is very inquisitive, he always stood out in the exams I was an examiner for because he is a quick learner. His comprehension skills are sensational - considering the fact that German is not his native language and he had to do everything in German. He is also strong-willed and has a great desire to progress. Basel is a very reliable, ambitious and honest colleague. We are very happy to have such an employee.
one: How did you support Basel during his training?
Steven Igbinosa: I was always available here on site and at school as a contact person, and he and his colleagues were also given plenty of time for the projects so that they could familiarise themselves in peace. We mainly tried to put what we had learnt into practice with our colleagues. We also let them get a taste of different departments to further expand their practical knowledge.
one: Basel, what challenges did you face at the start of the project?
Basel Murtada: Firstly, the language, and secondly, I have two small children. The childcare is sometimes difficult to organise. I was always at school for three days and here at work for two, so it was a bit difficult to juggle everything on some days. Studying for exams in particular is not so easy with two children, because they also want attention. On top of that, there were four of us living in a small two-bedroom flat, which meant that we had to rely on each other a lot. The good thing about PENNY is that you can always talk to the senior managers here if there are any problems.
one: What tips would you give to other senior managers and other colleagues who would also like to take part in this project?
Steven Igbinosa: It's really worthwhile. Of course, as a senior manager, you don't always have that much time, but you can also talk to your own manager about this. I can't speak for everyone, and understandably it always depends on the participants, but in my opinion it's definitely worthwhile.
Basel Murtada: Try it out. You have to be patient, and it can sometimes be nerve-wracking, but you have to think about your future and it's really worth it in the end.
one: What goals have you set yourself and what goals would you still like to achieve at PENNY?
Basel Murtada: My goal is to further improve my German and later work here as a team leader. I'm simply interested in continuing to learn for my own personal development.
Steven Igbinosa: That really is the next level here. Of course, the language barrier is still a bit of an obstacle for him, but he is improving day by day. He has to read through a lot of information and is asked questions in German, especially when it comes to incoming goods, so he is learning even faster here too.
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 the 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.
