“We pay attention to motivation, not school grades or certificates”

Why it is worthwhile for companies to invest in training and work with JOBLINGE: We talked to Dr. Nadin Riedl, Head of Vocational Training at Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, about this.
She also told us what she looks for in job applications and why school grades don’t matter.
The interview was conducted on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of JOBLINGE gAG Leipzig.

Why does Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe work together with JOBLINGE?
Nadin Riedl: JOBLINGE is a great program that helps people who no longer have a chance elsewhere on their way to a good working life.
With our partnership, we try to recognize people’s potential and prepare them for the right job.
Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe is a large company with a wide variety of training occupations.
Our aim is to find the specific area in which each and every individual can develop to the best of their ability.

Why do you think it is important to invest in training?
We live in very fast-moving times, which makes work more complex.
This makes it all the more important to provide people with key specialist knowledge at an early stage to enable them to carry out their work.
I think that no company can avoid investing in training because vocational training per se does not cover company-specific content.
There is also the fundamental issue of securing the next generation of employees in the face of demographic change.

What resources do trainees bring with them and what added value does a company gain from them?
They bring new perspectives and new knowledge with them, allowing processes to be improved and current trends to be brought into the company.
Together with experienced employees, this creates great added value for the company.
An open exchange of knowledge between the generations is very important so that everyone can benefit in the best possible way.
Progress is only possible with mutual understanding and appreciation.

What do you appreciate about the JOBLINGE participants for internships and apprenticeships?
JOBLINGE participants are usually very well prepared.
They are often clear about what they want to achieve and what steps are necessary to do so.
JOBLINGE lays an important foundation for this, as it actively encourages reflection.
In addition, participants learn to signal problems, communicate and ask for help.
These skills are very important for us in vocational training, as they enable us to provide tailored support in the event of difficulties and contribute to the success of the training.

What role does the formal education of applicants play for you?
We don’t pay attention to school grades or reports.
Because hardly anyone was assessed fairly and according to their abilities at school.
Grades simply do not reflect a person’s actual abilities and skills.

What do you look for in applicants for apprenticeships?
First and foremost, we pay attention to motivation: What attracts applicants to this particular job and why do they want to work for Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe?
Are they enthusiastic about our variety of activities or do they want to make a contribution to climate protection at a transport company?
We also determine motivation based on the form and language style of the application.
This shows how much effort applicants put in and how interested they are.
It is crucial that you are enthusiastic about the job, because only people who are happy in their job are good at it.

More top articles

We are celebrating the opening of the basecamp in Munich!

The basecamp Munich is now officially open. With the start of the new training year, we welcome prospective trainees, trainees and trainers from the Munich area to Stiglmaierplatz. Read here what awaits you in our new learning and meeting place. Contribution to solving a central social challenge According to the vocational training report published by the Federal Ministry of Education in May of this year, 630,000 young people under the age of 25 in Germany are currently unable to find a way into training, qualifications or work. At the same time, almost 70,000 apprenticeships remain unfilled and more than a quarter of trainees drop out of their apprenticeship prematurely. This is where basecamp Munich comes in. Qualified training support in a motivating place of shared learning The basecamp Munich at Stiglmaierplatz is being created as a learning and meeting place for everyone involved in the topic of apprenticeships: JOBLINGE alumni,

Read more

JOBLINGE Impact Area – the PLAN A numbers!

PLAN A has been impressively successful – several thousand young people have already registered since 2023! But what’s behind these figures? Here we explain how PLAN A reaches young people who would otherwise fall through the cracks and the role our innovative approach plays in this. 5.000 young people registered with PLAN A since 2023! More and more young people have no training and are increasingly difficult to reach. Around 628,000 young people are not in education, training or employment and remain lost in the school-to-work transition as they are difficult for the system to reach (so-called NEETs). However, PLAN A addresses young people where they actually are – on the street or on social media. Because at JOBLINGE, our primary goal is to help as many young people as possible into training and the world of work in the long term. To achieve this goal, we take various approaches

Read more

Our new website is live!

After a year of intensive work and lots of creative ideas, the time has finally come: our new website is online! And with a fresh design, a clear structure and an improved user experience. We are proud to present our new website to you! A year of hard work The journey to our new website began around a year ago. After intensive research and fundraising, we started developing the program in November 2023. In January 2024, we entered the hot phase: we tested, optimized and redesigned the entire website. Our aim was to streamline the structure and significantly improve the user journey – and we achieved this! Fresh look and clear structure The new website is not only visually appealing, but also functional: the menu structure is now clearly aligned with our “Activate, mediate and accompany” chain of action and thus reflects our strategic levers for our Vision #2030. Everything

Read more

We have won – Impact of Diversity Award

We’ve got it! – The Impact of Diversity Award! We are delighted that Kadim Tas and Nicole Scherschun were able to accept the Impact of Diversity Award in the category “Ethnicity & Social Inclusion” powered by Volkswagen on Friday on behalf of JOBLINGE! A huge thank you to Mareike Brockmann for the inspiring laudatory speech. A phenomenal event where outstanding projects on the topic of diversity were honored. We had the pleasure of meeting many familiar faces again and getting to know inspiring personalities who are all committed to a diverse (working) world. We are delighted and congratulate all the other winners and finalists: IU International University & Hashtag#SheTransformsIT DHL Freight on the other hand Annette Kempf Hashtag#empowerGirl (MINTvernetzt), Femtec.Alumnae e.V. (FTA), TWISE, Black Female Business GbR, ADAN e.V. | Afro Diasporic Academics Network, myBuddy, INNOKLUSIO (Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH), myAbility Social Enterprise GmbH, Palais F*luxx, IU International University, Erdem

Read more