In an interview, Sebastian Stietzel, President of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, explains the creative approach the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce intends to use to address the shortage of skilled workers.
Mr. Stietzel, why does the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce want to train specialists in Namibia?
We have been dealing with the challenges of the shortage of skilled workers here in Berlin for a long time. We are currently short about 90,000 skilled workers, and business is giving us feedback that it is no longer just about skilled workers, but that there is a shortage of workers and skilled workers in almost all sectors. If you look at our own potential, it quickly becomes clear that we are inevitably dependent on the influx of international skilled workers. Even if we were to bring all the unemployed, all those now in school and all part-time workers into full-time work in the future, we are unlikely to be able to close the widening skills gap due to demographic change.
But why did you choose Windhoek as your partner?
Windhoek has been a twin city of Berlin since 2000. So there is already cooperation between our cities. But there are other reasons that speak in favor of Windhoek: Namibia is in the same time zone as Germany, which makes cooperation much easier. The fact that English is an official language in Namibia provides good conditions for our training programs. There is also a high affinity for the German language in Namibia. This is important for integration into the labor market. Youth unemployment in Namibia is very high at around 40 per cent. There is therefore also great interest from the Namibian side in cooperation that brings young people into work. The mayor of Windhoek, Queen Kamati, has made this clear to us time and again.
How great is the potential? How many people do you want to train annually?
The potential is huge. Last year, there was a model project of the Goethe-Institut in Windhoek, a language course whose graduates received an internship at a German company. 7,000 Namibians applied for the 25 places offered. In Windhoek, approximately 8,000 people complete training at a municipal vocational training center every year. Of these, however, 60 percent remain unemployed. We estimate that about half of these people are willing to go through higher vocational training. So we are talking about an order of magnitude of potentially 2,500 to 3,000 graduates per year. Of course, we cannot immediately set up an education center for 3,000 trainees from now on. But the potential is great enough, as is the need in Berlin.
What is the schedule?
The idea was born in February. Over the past few months, we have worked out a plan with German and Namibian partners. For November, we are aiming to sign a memorandum of understanding in Windhoek. Depending on the infrastructural requirements in Windhoek, we consider a launch possible for early 2026.
Can cooperation with Windhoek close the labor gap in Berlin?
No, not alone. Several thousand training places have remained vacant in Berlin this year. Our goal with the cooperation with Windhoek is not only to attract more workers quantitatively to our business location, but also to ensure the qualitative integration of these same skilled workers. The difference is that we organise training on the spot. Participants are to obtain their vocational qualifications, learn German and also receive cultural education in Namibia. Hopefully this will make it much easier to enter the German labor market. If the cooperation with Windhoek works well, the project can be expanded – with other twin cities, but also within the region.
What professions do you train for?
We want to focus on the occupations where the demand for workers and skilled workers is highest. Wir wollen uns auf die Berufe konzentrieren, in denen die Nachfrage nach Arbeitskräften und Fachkräften am höchsten ist. The focus or specialty also depends essentially on the companies that will work with the training center.
In what language does the training take place?
Vocational training is conducted in German. We want to prepare the trainees as best as possible for the German labor market. The fastest way to learn a language is to hear and speak it constantly. But if necessary, the instructors can of course also explain something in English. It is a great advantage that we can use language that both sides understand. This is not possible in other countries where the official language is not English.
So you’re going to bring instructors from Germany to Namibia?
We will start with German trainers. But we also want to further qualify Namibian trainers.
How do you involve Berlin companies in the project?
There are three ways to get involved. The easiest way is simply to hire training graduates from Namibia. A second stage would be to accompany the training to some extent, for example through internships or financial support for trainees. The third option is to be involved in training with its own trainers. This means investing in a branch or permanent establishment in Namibia. These establishments will then, of course, have the most direct access to graduates. The focus of the cooperation is on training for the German labor market.
How exactly should the Namibian economy benefit from this?
Yes, it is our intention that 100 percent of those trained could end up in the Berlin labor market. But based on experience, we were mirrored that around 20 percent will not leave the country. These people are then available to the Namibian economy. In the medium term, however, the project should also be open to Namibian companies. Some have already expressed interest in supporting an educational center and then benefiting from its graduates.
12.11.2024