As part of its partnership with the Marburg-Biedenkopf district, Steinmühle hosted a full-day “Future Workshop” on the topic of securing a skilled workforce. The event was organized by the newly founded Marburg-Biedenkopf Economic Development Corporation (Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Marburg-Biedenkopf mbH), represented by its managing director Tobias Kurka, and the Office for Securing a Skilled Workforce at the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration.

In his welcome address to the participants, Steinmühle Managing Director Dirk Konnertz mentioned the close and ongoing collaboration with the district, but also emphasized the connection between the conference’s theme and Steinmühle as an educational institution. During the lunch break, Principal Björn Gemmer gave the guests a tour of the Steinmühle campus.

District Administrator Jens Womelsdorf emphasized that the Future Workshop, with over forty participants, was an excellent example of successful cooperation within the district. Among those invited to the conference were representatives from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Philipps University of Marburg, the Technical University of Central Hesse, local banks, and leading companies in the region.

By 2028, the district will be short more than 4,000 skilled workers with vocational degrees

“Securing a skilled workforce is a genuine societal and long-term challenge that requires the commitment of all stakeholders. I am grateful that we in Hesse are working together to address the issue of securing skilled workers and the labor force. We need coordinated strategies for securing a skilled workforce to pool regional resources, create synergies, and tap into further potential,” said Claudia Wesner of the Office for Securing a Skilled Workforce at the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration.

Dr. Christa Larsen, Director of the Institute for Economics, Labor, and Culture at Goethe University Frankfurt: “The labor market situation in the Marburg-Biedenkopf district is already quite tight and will become even more severe in the coming years. By 2028 alone, the district will face a shortage of approximately 4,000 skilled workers with academic or vocational degrees. These skilled-worker shortages will grow even larger in the coming years as the baby boomer generation retires. That is why existing strategies for securing a skilled workforce must be reevaluated, and we need to explore what new approaches are necessary. Ideas for this will be developed in the Future Workshop.”

The Marburg-Biedenkopf Economic Development Corporation (WFG), founded in May 2023, is intended to help address the shortage of skilled workers. The WFG will build on the results of the Future Workshop to strengthen the district’s economic and employment structure in a sustainable manner, in collaboration with all stakeholders.

Why can’t they reach an agreement through diplomatic channels? — Given the many political conflicts around the world, this question comes up time and again. Recently, a delegation from the Center for Conflict Research at Philipps University in Marburg visited our school. In a simulation of an international conflict, 13th-grade students were given the opportunity to lead negotiations at a fictional UN conference. They soon realized that reaching an agreement isn’t all that easy.

Otium-Union, Anceps, Tavus, Furland, and Gratenia: These were fictional countries with fictional names, whose representatives were to exchange views in informal discussions and later at a roundtable. Students took on these roles, wearing name tags and addressing one another formally. The goal was to immerse themselves in their own roles and those of their counterparts, focusing on national identity, territorial claims, economic factors, and peacekeeping.

Sticking to One’s Own Point of View

All parties involved issued a brief statement explaining their positions. It soon became clear that this was a gathering of very different personalities. Not all parties were open to discussion—or were difficult to reason with—and many insisted on their position, vehemently opposing, for example, a “relocation” proposed by the other side in the negotiations.

“Frustrating” at times

The final evaluation was intended to reveal how the students felt about their roles. The word “frustration” came up—they found it difficult to reach an agreement, especially when the negotiators were primarily pursuing their own interests rather than focusing on the common goal. Reasons cited included, among others, interdependencies that make agreements difficult, as well as many conflicting interests. The people were said to be unwilling to compromise.

“Do you have any idea where this took place?” Of course, it was eventually revealed which part of the world the students had been discussing during those three school hours. The university guests first let the students guess and then revealed that the scenario outlined in the presentation roughly corresponded to the Transnistria conflict between the Republic of Moldova and the self-proclaimed Transnistrian Republic, with Russia’s involvement.

Making University Collaboration a Reality

Bernd Hülsbeck, a subject teacher and head of the social sciences division within the Politics and Economics department at Steinmühle, views events like this primarily through the lens of “opening up the school”: “We have a partnership with Philipps University of Marburg, and we need to make that partnership tangible.” The Steinmühle teacher thanked the university delegation—consisting of Prof. Dr. Thorsten Bonacker, Dr. Stéphane Voell, Dr. Kerstin Zimmer, and Tabea Hanke—for coming by presenting them with a gift. Events like these help make the curriculum—which is currently focusing on international relations in the 13th grade—somewhat more practice-oriented.

The “Peace and Conflict Studies” program prepares students, among other things, for work with the UN when staff are deployed to crisis areas.

Every year, for one evening in November, the Steinmühle Atrium is reserved for the 12th-grade class and representatives of the Marburg-Schloss Rotary Club. Under the motto “Students Ask—Professionals Answer,” these young adults have the opportunity to learn about various careers, gain insights, and ask questions.

To ensure that the flow of information is as effective as possible and that the representatives also cover professions that interest the students, the 12th-grade class has a say in the composition of the team of experts beforehand. Students can express their preferences regarding which careers they would like to learn more about from a practical perspective. Once the panel of experts has been finalized, students receive a PDF file in advance containing information about each expert and their responsibilities in their respective fields. This allows students to choose which of the three available expert sessions to attend in a highly targeted manner.

Every year, Dr. Claudia Röder and Hans-Heinrich Bähr are responsible for the preliminary organization and the smooth running of the event. “We’ve become a well-coordinated team by now,” they say. The Steinmühlen teacher is in charge of academic and career guidance at the school, while Hans-Heinrich Bähr is responsible for the career information service at the Rotary Club Marburg-Schloss. Principal Björn Gemmer thanked both of them for their reliable preparation before opening the event.

Specific offers were well received

While last year a few specific career paths were the absolute favorites—such as the profession of psychologist and various opportunities with the German Armed Forces—this time the main areas of interest were somewhat more diverse. For example, there was also strong interest in counseling sessions on the various career opportunities with the Mittelhessen Emergency Medical Services and the Mittelhessen Police Headquarters, as well as in strategic service roles for hotel chains and the Sustainability Management degree program at the Technical University of Mittelhessen —the latter two were new additions to the Career Information Day’s offerings, just like the Materials Science degree program. Creative and communication-oriented professions, such as design, art direction, and journalism—to name just a few—were also in high demand. Numerous interested attendees also came to the information session on the career profiles of lawyers, (dental) physicians, and management consultants. A larger group also gathered at the German Red Cross (DRK) Nurses’ Association, which, for example, highlighted the opportunity to complete a voluntary social year. A total of 22 different career paths were presented.

“We liked that the career representatives just talked about their work on their own, without us having to ask questions,” said students Vivien Ettrich and Amelie Schröder. They were interested in psychology and journalism, but also found the option of first completing a voluntary social year appealing. Ina Arnold and Paula Henke found the information provided by the police to be very insightful: “They had three people there from different fields, and you could immediately see how diverse the opportunities with the police are.” Both were also drawn to the information provided by the Bundeswehr representative: “He offered internships, participation in camps, and even degree programs,” they reported.

The Best Ways to Combine High School Graduation and a Trade

Constantin Mensing, Johnny Eckardt, and Manu Yárnoz were impressed by the descriptions provided by the representative of the Hyatt Hotel Group and considered the information to be “very authentic” and now know that there are excellent career advancement opportunities in this particular field, provided one is willing to adapt to certain conditions, such as work hours. They also gained valuable insights into the careers of architects and lawyers, which offer a wide range of opportunities. The students found their conversation with Stefan Gräser about the role of a building energy manager to be very informative. Conclusion: There are excellent opportunities to combine a high school diploma with a trade.

Baris Cem Tutu and Selim Özcan found the visit with representatives of Sparkasse Marburg-Biedenkopf informative, as well as the presentation by the Bundeswehr representative, who “did a great job” of explaining the material. “I now have a general idea,” says Selim. “A little more time overall wouldn’t have been a bad thing.”

In addition to the opportunities mentioned, the following career fields were also presented: Business graduate, managing director, IT specialist, tax consultant/certified public accountant, investment advisor/insurance agent, physicist.