It is no longer a secret that the labour market is lacking in suitable skilled workers. According to the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Economic Barometer, 61 per cent of companies are concerned about whether they will be able to find capable candidates for vacant positions. The shortage of skilled workers is regarded as the greatest business risk facing the German economy. Whilst other companies have to source staff internationally to recruit employees, Hamburg-based hsp Handels-Software-Partner GmbH has found its own solution to the problem.

Tackling the skills shortage

When it became apparent that finding suitable skilled workers from the software industry was becoming increasingly difficult, hsp decided simply to train them itself. For the past ten years, young people have been learning trades here in the fields of application development, systems integration and media design. The Career Initiative has been a resounding success. This summer alone, four apprentices completed their apprenticeships and were immediately taken on as permanent employees. This is beneficial for both sides: the young people have the prospect of long-term employment right from the start of their training, and hsp Handels-Software-Partner GmbH is able to pass on a great deal of in-house knowledge during the apprenticeship years.

„For us as a smaller company, training is always a valuable investment that pays off in the long term. Our trainees are involved in all processes right from the start, which helps them learn to take on responsibility and be part of the team at an early stage,“ says Managing Director Paul Liese, delighted with the success.

The company does not care at all where applicants come from; the main thing is that they are motivated and want to be part of the team. The workforce now comprises employees of seven different nationalities; applicants from migrant backgrounds are expressly welcome and are not only given professional training but also actively supported in learning German.

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International cooperation

The trainees are also enthusiastic about the hsp’s initiative:

„I think it’s good that we work as a team within a group. As migrants, we come from different cultures and learn in different ways. In our culture, you learn at school or university, not in a company. I’ve learnt a lot at hsp and I’m pleased that I’m allowed to work independently,“ says Khaled Alhamdo Algoursh.

„Our trainers have always taken the time to answer our questions and help us acquire the specialist knowledge we need for the training programme. I also think it’s great that we’re allowed to work on Opti.Tax whilst we’re still on the training programme, so we can gain practical experience,“ says Marvin Boos happily.

According to the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce’s Skilled Labour Monitor, 58,000 vacancies will remain unfilled this year – a problem that does not affect hsp, thanks to its own initiative.