Apart from providing the current internships, The German carmaker also sponsors other integration projects in Stuttgart and Sindelfingen, in the process donating one million euros to "A Heart for Children".
10 Nov 2015 | 3553 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Daimler has provided a so-called 'bridge internship' to 40 refugees and asylum seekers. The participants have come from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Gambia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, aged between 20 and 51 years. In the program, Daimler is working with the German Federal Employment Agency and Job Centers.
Explaining the initiative ...
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Daimler has provided a so-called 'bridge internship' to 40 refugees and asylum seekers. The participants have come from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Gambia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria, aged between 20 and 51 years. In the program, Daimler is working with the German Federal Employment Agency and Job Centers.
Explaining the initiative Wilfried Porth, member of the board of management of Daimler AG responsible for HR and director of Labor Relations, IT & Mercedes-Benz Vans, said, "We see immigration as an opportunity. For it to work, the integration of the refugees has to be successful. Our bridge internship helps us to contribute to this political and social goal by smoothing the way for people to enter the German labor market."
This internship lasts for duration of 14 weeks. The participants were selected by the Federal Employment Agency and the competent Job Centers. However, they are not in competition with the core workforce or temporary workers. Successful participants can be placed in other companies, temporary agencies, and professional training programs.
"The best way for people to integrate is at the workplace. Doing things together creates understanding for one another. That is why we are delighted that many colleagues have expressed a willingness to mentor the bridge interns. Discrimination and racism have no place at Daimler. We support the program, which we see as humanitarian aid within our practical possibilities. However, it is also clear: The bridge interns are not in competition with temporary agency workers or our core workforce. This program does not put anybody at a disadvantage," said Michael Brecht, chairman of the General Works Council at Daimler AG.
German lessons for three-and-a-half hours per day
The bridge interns start work with their co-workers on the early shift at 6:00 am. The working time for the practical section is three-and-a-half hours per work day. In axle production and logistics, the aim of the carmaker is to provide the trainees with some of the basic skills for the work in industrial production. In training, they learn how machines are equipped or how components are sorted and provided, among other things. The participants also gain insights into the way Daimler employees operate robotic welding machines or do the service maintenance for other machinery. Refugees spend another three-and-a-half hours per day learning German in small groups of 10 people and receive help with writing job application letters, for example.
The German Federal Employment Agency will finance the first six weeks of the internship. For the remaining eight weeks, Daimler will pay compensation for the daily work time of three-and-a-half hours in accordance with minimum wage law. The automaker is also financing the German courses for the full duration of the bridge internships. "As a large company, we are assuming our social responsibility and are making our infrastructure available. We can certainly get more done than many small and medium-size companies, which do not have our possibilities," added Porth.
The first bridge internship has already started at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. The program is to be extended to other locations in the coming weeks and months.
Several aid campaigns for refugees
Apart from providing the current internships, The German carmaker also sponsors other integration projects in Stuttgart and Sindelfingen, in the process donating one million euros to "Ein Herz für Kinder" (A Heart for Children) to aid refugee children and. Along with its employees, it has provided more than 600,000 euros to the German Red Cross for use as emergency aid for refugees. In addition, the company has also provided a "helpers' fleet" of Mercedes-Benz vehicles to relief organizations. Daimler's team of company physicians also examines the medical care provided to refugees in their living quarters.