Corona and the economic consequences: Digital networking meeting strengthens female entrepreneurs

Women with a migrant background face particular challenges when founding and running their businesses. We brought together female entrepreneurs from various industries with a digital networking event on November 17, 2021. The goal of the exchange, titled "Emerging from the Crisis Stronger! Strategies for Business Stability and Security," was to get to know each other and share experiences—particularly with regard to the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. With this networking event, ASM participated in this year's nationwide Startup Week as part of the Migrant Economy Service Center project within the IQ Hamburg State Network.

The 15 participants came from the retail and services, skilled trades, and social sectors. They spoke openly about the impact of the crisis on their businesses or freelance work and about the support they have sought. Martina Oesterer from the Hamburg Investment and Development Bank was available to provide information on various government-funded aid programs.

In the interviews and discussions conducted with some of the female entrepreneurs, their high level of motivation and entrepreneurial ambition to continue pursuing their goals, even in difficult times, stood out. For some, this included participating in further training or obtaining a professional qualification.

During the digital meeting, participants expressed their desire for more than just a one-time exchange. ASM intends to honor this wish. The exchange is intended to be just the beginning of a series of networking events.

Number of training contracts declining sharply – what is needed to counteract this?
Online conference of the KAUSA service center in Hamburg shows options for action

"Training under Pressure - How can small and medium-sized enterprises be supported to accept and overcome the challenges they face as training companies?" was the title of the webinar organized by the KAUSA Service Center Hamburg on September 9, 2021. The speakers used current figures and research findings to demonstrate that dual training is facing major challenges. They also provided recommendations for action on how these challenges could be addressed.

Marion Wartumjan, Managing Director of the project, which is part of the Association of Self-Employed Migrants (ASM), welcomed the 57 participants. She outlined success factors for supporting SMEs and micro-enterprises with an immigrant background on their path to becoming a training company. This includes the excellent access that ASM, as a migrant organization founded by entrepreneurs, has to businesses on the one hand and migrant communities on the other. Another key factor for the successful work of the KAUSA Service Center Hamburg, which project manager Arzu Pehlivan later discussed in detail, is working in teams that speak the native languages of the entrepreneurs.

"In Hamburg, the number of completed apprenticeship contracts fell by an average of 17 to 18 percent in 2020, and in some sectors, such as the hotel and restaurant industry, by as much as 40 percent," said Armin Grams, Deputy Managing Director of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, in his presentation. The situation is somewhat better in the skilled trades. In addition to the fact that 60 percent of school leavers in the city-state of Hamburg now have a university entrance qualification and a large proportion of them are going on to study, Grams cited two further reasons why companies are receiving fewer applications: "Career guidance in schools during the coronavirus pandemic was not so good. Training fairs were also canceled." Grams advises SMEs, for whom the challenges in recruiting young talent are even greater than for large companies, to contact general education schools early on, cooperate with apprenticeship placement services, and offer internships. Even young people with poor grades should be given a chance through entry-level training or support programs. "This requires more effort for companies initially, but later they have more loyal employees. Other ways of generating skilled workers are more complex and expensive," said the ASM board member.

The work of the KAUSA Service Center Hamburg has increased the participation of migrant companies in training, explained project manager Arzu Pehlivan, using data and facts in a PowerPoint presentationPehlivan: "By referring to AEVO courses and offerings such as entrepreneurs' get-togethers, the project also contributed to improving the quality of training in SMEs." In the six and a half years since its launch in 2015, the KAUSA Service Center in Hamburg, in cooperation with the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the Youth Employment Agency, has placed more than 500 young people, most of them with a migrant background, directly in SMEs. The project also prepared and placed more than 40 young people with a migrant background and more than 100 young people with a refugee background for internships or EQ.

Arzu Pehlivan then interviewed an entrepreneur who offers training in his grocery store, a travel agent trainee, and a sales representative from the KAUSA service center. Metin Sükmen, who runs Yildiz Food & Beverages, says he himself did not receive good training as a retail clerk. Now he is highly motivated to become a good trainer himself. The entrepreneur completed the course to prepare for the trainer aptitude test and is now a volunteer examiner for future trainers at the Chamber of Commerce. He received support from the project on his way to becoming a training company. "That was very helpful for me," said Sükmen. Nabila Zaferzoi, who is currently training at the Akram travel agency, was able to score points with her communication and teamwork skills during her three-month internship, subsequently receiving a training contract for her dream job. The young woman, born in Pakistan, has a great advantage with her extensive language skills in the travel agency, which is mainly visited by Pakistanis and Africans: “Dari, Farsi, Urdu, Pashto and English are the languages in demand here,” says Zaferzoi.

Tamim Wafa arranged the internship as a springboard for training. The KAUSA service center employee explained how he goes about raising awareness among companies about training and providing concrete support to those interested in becoming training companies. Wafa: "I first explain what dual training is, using informational materials in various languages, and explain the advantages of having a company provide training." He connects young people seeking training positions with companies. "I prepare both of them for their roles," said the multilingual employee.

Manuela Badur from the Hamburg Social Services Department began her presentation with a review of the exploratory talks prior to the launch of the KAUSA Service Center in Hamburg in 2014: "Initially, we had critical discussions because the need for the service wasn't yet fully recognized," said the head of the department for skilled labor retention and target group-oriented labor market policy. The department chose ASM as the sponsor of the service center because of its "good networking and labor market policy expertise." Badur concluded at the end of the project: "The KAUSA Service Center in Hamburg is contributing to improving opportunities for young people and maintaining the attractiveness of the business location."

Why has the number of apprenticeship contracts not increased despite the economic upturn over the last ten years? Why is it that the proportion of apprentices in SMEs has instead fallen by a third? These questions were addressed by speaker Dr. Marcus Eckelt in his Speech He gave the following answers: "Matching problems are increasing. On the one hand, there are more unfilled training positions, and on the other hand, there are more young people without a training place." The research associate at the Helmut Schmidt University identified, as starting points for counteracting this, among other things, the intensification of matching activities, the increase in the visibility of small and micro-enterprises, and the proactive provision of support measures for them. Eckelt pointed out that almost one in three young people with a migration background who have a maximum of an intermediate school qualification has not yet entered training two years after completing their school career. He called for a resource-oriented view of young people and for multilingualism to be viewed positively, not as a problem.

At the end of the two-hour online conference, Marion Wartumjan discussed possibleShe outlines the future priorities of a follow-up project. One of these is to improve communication between vocational schools and training companies. The managing director hopes that federal funding will make it possible to incorporate the potential of migrant communities into the work again. "We would like to recruit and train multipliers who will inform migrant communities about training options." And last but not least, with a view to company closures due to the coronavirus, she emphasizes: "We absolutely want to retain those companies that we recruited for training between 2015 and 2021 as training companies."

25 consultations at the “Training Action Day” of the KAUSA Service Center Hamburg

The campaign "Training 2021 – Clarify your future now!" aims to encourage young people who are feeling uncertain as a result of the coronavirus pandemic to apply for training. KAUSA Service Center Hamburg The training partners are the Hamburg Employment Agency/Hamburg Youth Employment Agency, the Chamber of Commerce and Crafts, the German Trade Union Confederation North, and the Hamburg Institute for Vocational Training. Before the start of training in August, the KAUSA service center further intensified its counseling services for young people with a migration and refugee background. For example, on July 13, 2021, KAUSA project staff provided personal counseling to ten young people and another 15 by phone or digitally at a "Training Action Day."

The participants came from a variety of different countries: Afghanistan, Germany, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Latvia, Lithuania, Nepal, Somalia, Syria, and Vietnam. They were asked to answer their questions about starting an apprenticeship, writing applications, and preparing for an upcoming interview. The advisors also referred them to job centers, the employment agency, and the services offered by Youth Employment Agency Hamburg (JBA) for those seeking training positions.

The project, also located at the Association of Self-Employed Migrants eV and funded by the Social Welfare Office, “Contact point for dual vocational training“ also supports the work of the KAUSA Service Center in Hamburg. Migrant companies interested in training are advised on government support measures to maintain and ensure the quality of training during the coronavirus pandemic.

Network meeting of KAUSA projects on successes and challenges

On September 21, 2021, over 50 people gathered online for the annual KAUSA project exchange to discuss their project work. All 16 regional KAUSA service centers and six state KAUSA offices, the four regional offices, and staff from the Educational Chains Service Center at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which is responsible for project support, were represented. KAUSA Service Center Hamburg project manager Arzu Pehlivan emphasized the benefits of using a multilingual team to attract migrant companies for training. Learn more about the other successes and challenges discussed here. here.

ASM wins Hamburg companies for the Diversity Charter
Senator for Economic Affairs honors new signatories

By the beginning of 2021, 211 Hamburg organizations had Charter of Diversity This demonstrates their commitment to diversity within their company. On the occasion of Diversity Day on May 18, 2021, Hamburg's Senator for Economic Affairs, Michael Westhagemann, honored companies that have recently signed the Diversity Charter. The companies operating in the trade and services sectors were acquired through a recruitment campaign by the ASM project "Service Center for the Migrant Economy." Until then, companies from these sectors were significantly underrepresented, with fewer than 30 of the 211 organizations signing the Charter.

The campaign, implemented in cooperation with the IQ Network Hamburg, attracted eight new businesses, half of which are owned by people with a migrant background. At the online event on Diversity Day, the Senator for Economic Affairs said: "I am particularly pleased that this award focuses on migrant-run businesses. After all, over a third of all Hamburg residents have a migrant background. As skilled workers or entrepreneurs, they make a significant contribution to the city's economic growth and prosperity."

Owners and managing directors shared their reasons for signing. Grocer Ersin Sükmen, who operates four locations, said: "We want to make a contribution and set an example for our company. I think signing will have a positive impact on us, for example, when recruiting." And managing director Özlem Geyik of Star Gas Stations, Hasan Geyik, emphasized that "it's important in our company to represent diversity because we don't just serve one group of people. Everyone comes to the gas station, so different cultures and different languages are part of it."

To date, nearly 4,000 companies and organizations across Germany have signed the Diversity Charter. With this voluntary commitment, they commit to an open, respectful corporate culture that values employees regardless of ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, and gender.

German Foundation for Engagement and Volunteering enables ASM digitalization offensive for voluntary work in the training sector

The German Foundation for Engagement and Volunteering is strengthening our association's volunteer work. With its financial support, ASM has now launched the project "Digitally Fit for Training Support! Concerted Action for Volunteers." As part of the project, the association will be able to train and coach approximately 70 volunteers in digital work, establish a digital work network for them using new hardware and software, and provide 25 laptops for volunteer work. The devices will be used, among other things, to ensure the learning success of trainees with a migration or refugee background.

We can now also provide digital workstations to mentors with a migration background who support refugee women on their path to training and employment. The laptops will also be used in the trainee group that has been hosted at ASM since its founding in 2007. The project will be implemented in December 2020.

The German Foundation for Volunteering and Engagement was established in July 2020 with the support of the Ministries of Family Affairs, the Interior, and Agriculture. Its goal is to promote volunteer work. In addition to financial support, the foundation offers training and supports the development of volunteer structures. To support non-profit organizations, volunteer work, and volunteering during the coronavirus pandemic, the foundation has launched the "Working Together in Times of Coronavirus" funding program.

Avoiding training dropouts: renewed funding from the Kurt & Maria Dohle Foundation enables additional training coaching offers

Many disadvantaged trainees are experiencing great uncertainty due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the temporary closure of vocational schools in 2020 and the associated abrupt switch to digital learning, many are having difficulty following lessons at the vocational school. Many training companies are also experiencing uncertainty and are currently unable to contribute to stabilizing their trainees. Through earmarked additional funding from the Kurt & Maria Dohle Foundation for further offers within the framework of the Training coaching Young trainees can now receive more individual coaching sessions. This support contributes significantly to preventing training dropouts due to the coronavirus.

The training coaching services are as diverse as the young people who take advantage of them. In many cases, this involves support in finding a new training position after being dismissed during the probationary period or even in the middle of training due to the economic consequences of the pandemic. For trainees with a refugee background, it is often also about assistance with formalities with authorities and job centers regarding the issue of training tolerance.
Numerous trainees in need of supportf can now benefit from additional coaching hours thanks to the increased funding from the foundation.

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