The fact that this job in warehouse logistics is no longer the domain of men was also reflected in the composition of the group of participants, three of the four participants being female. They had to go to school under difficult conditions, figuratively speaking, because when the starting bell rang for their retraining on March 16, 2020, the first pandemic-related lockdown also began.
They overcame this hurdle without any major problems - the foundation stone was thus laid for an eventful retraining. The lessons started more or less directly online, which was a new challenge for everyone, i.e. for retrainees and lecturers alike. Siegfried Demleitner, lecturer in warehouse logistics, was particularly struck by the extraordinary commitment on the part of the graduates. Mr. Troglauer, the only man in this retraining, referred to a learning video with very helpful tips on the subject of warehouse logistics, which was included in the lesson with great thanks. Unfortunately, the face-to-face phases during the 16-month retraining did not last very long, as online teaching was once again introduced throughout the educational institution in autumn 2020. It is all the more pleasing that this circumstance did not stop the now fully trained specialist warehouse workers from staying on the ball and giving their all. Ultimately, there were big steps towards final exams. In spring 2021, all four participants successfully passed the intermediate exam, the big final exam followed in May 2021, and this chain of exams was rounded off two months later with passing the skills test. The two participants Jessica Eisenreich and Michael Troglauer can be pleased about an excellent exam result with grade 1.
Richard Kirschner, ISE managing director and training manager for the warehouse logistics division, wished the graduates much success both personally and professionally and hoped that they would not forget the ISE. They are always welcome if they “have a personal request or are in the area.” With “almost 500 trained warehouse specialists, the ISE can look back on a successful history,” said Peter Blendowski, controller and educational consultant, in his laudatory speech. Andreas Baumann, training manager in the warehouse logistics area, and Roland Domogalla, ISE managing director and lecturer in warehouse logistics, acknowledged the good to very good successes of the graduates, gave them their best wishes and at the end Baumann emphasized the positive feedback from the examiners on site during the practical final exam. “Rarely do you have such motivated and well-prepared examinees,” he said.
Even if no representative from the IHK was unfortunately able to take part in the celebrations, Michael Humbs, training advisor at the IHK Regensburg for Upper Palatinate/Kelheim, did not miss the opportunity to write words of praise to the graduates. They “can rightly be proud because their willingness to perform, their hard work and their perseverance have led to the desired success.” Humbs also addressed the current shortage of skilled workers, which “will become even more noticeable in the future” and emphasized that the new specialist warehouse workers “benefit from this change because we are not running out of work, but rather skilled workers.” We would like to thank all the responsible employees of the IHK for making such retraining possible even in times of crisis caused by the pandemic.
A word of recognition and thanks also went to the employment agency, especially Angelika Leitgeb, for her efforts in successfully implementing the retraining. Without their tireless commitment, the participants would not have been able to produce an IHK certificate for a recognized training occupation. Unfortunately, due to the corona pandemic, Leitgeb was unable to attend the certificate ceremony this year to personally congratulate the graduates. Finally, a big thank you was expressed to Katharina Hargrove from the employment agency, who has been the supervisor for all warehouse logistics retraining since the beginning of 2021.
The entire warehouse logistics team at the ISE Language and Vocational Training Center paid the graduates the utmost respect for how they stuck to their goal despite the difficult conditions - and in the end successfully. At the moment, three of the four warehouse specialists are in permanent employment, which Richard Kirschner is particularly pleased about.
For the report
Yvonne Franz