Special Topic | Well-trained professionals in the healthcare industry – The metropolitan region has a lot to offer

Software development, production, regulatory affairs, laboratory activities – the list of skills required by companies and research institutions is long. Where can companies and research institutions find freshly trained specialists for their requirements, how and where can their own workforce be trained and how can schoolchildren be inspired for the industry? We present some initiatives and give an overview where you can get further information.
[Translate to English:] Menschen am Tisch, Arbeitssituation

 

Companies and research institutions in the health sector are in the same situation as many sectors in Germany: they have problems recruiting young people. The search for skilled workers is becoming increasingly difficult. The Berlin-Brandenburg capital region is no exception – but is trying to counteract this with numerous offers and programs.  

How companies can score points with young talent: Dual apprenticeships 

Whether you are looking for an entry-level position, further education or a degree program, Berlin and Brandenburg offer a wide range of opportunities for those interested in a career in the healthcare industry. Dual apprenticeships or joint apprenticeships as well as dual study programs are also becoming increasingly popular. One example in the metropolitan region is the cooperation between Bayer and Tadeka in the pharmaceutical technician apprenticeship. The Berlin Vocational Training Center for Chemistry (bbz Chemie), for example, offers companies the opportunity to take on part of the inter-company training as a cooperation partner; many pharmaceutical companies are already taking advantage of this offer. 

Such training models are a win-win situation for all parties involved – trainees or students receive even higher quality training that gives them a wide-ranging insight into their industry, qualifies them very well and is therefore attractive in terms of career development. In return, companies get better trained specialists and have a little more to offer when it comes to recruiting young people. 

Graduates for the sector 

Those looking for freshly trained specialists also have numerous institutions to choose from in the region that are releasing graduates into the professional world. For example, Germany’s largest school for medical technology – the Oberstufenzentrum Informations- und Medizintechnik (OSZ IMT) – is based in Berlin and is currently training around 3000 students. The school offers initial and advanced vocational training, double qualifications with the right to study and further qualifications at the technical college. Here, for example, training to become a technician, specializing in medical technology, can be completed at the technical school for medical technology, which is included under the umbrella of the OSZ IMT. 

In the area of apprenticeships, for example, the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) hires six new apprentices each year to train as biology laboratory technicians. The theoretical training in chemistry, physics and biology takes place at the Lise Meitner School of Science, Berlin. 

The Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering in Potsdam has numerous suitable courses for the industry and the need for specialists in the field of IT – such as a Master of Science in Digital Health. A wide range of degree programs in the field of healthcare can also be found at the private SRH Hochschule für Gesundheit, including International Business Administration – Healthcare Management. Part-time study is possible, for example, at the IB Hochschule für Gesundheit und Soziales (IB University of Applied Sciences).: The courses, such as Digital Health, are offered in block weeks and partly online.  

Two other large companies in the healthcare market also entered into a special training cooperation last year: Oracle Cerner, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of hospital IT and the manufacturer of the international hospital information system i.s.h.med as well as Helios Kliniken, one of Europe’s leading private hospital operators. Together they provide training to become a consultant/e-health consultant for i.s.h.med. The ten-month program consists of technically well-founded theoretical training by Oracle Cerner and internships at various locations of the Helios Kliniken. At the end of the program, participants can work directly as i.s.h.med consultants/eHealth consultants in Oracle Cerner's numerous customer projects or at Helios clinics. The motivation of these two large partner companies is to attract as many young professionals as possible to the exciting field of e-health consulting with this attractive offer. And to offer them the chance to gain expert knowledge in health IT and hospital processes within the shortest possible time in order to develop professionally. 

As the demand for IT skills in the healthcare industry continues to rise in the wake of digitalization, knowledge of programming is also valuable. Training for employees in this respect is offered, for example, by the Coding School 42 Berlin. The NGO organizes free programming training – previous knowledge is not a prerequisite. Since the industry is increasingly working with individual software solutions, employees can acquire initial know-how here. 

How companies and young professionals find each other 

Graduates who have just left vocational school can be found in many places in Berlin and Brandenburg by companies and research institutions looking for skilled workers. They are grouped together, for example, in the Training atlas, which the HealthCapital cluster management makes available as an information platform. Thehttps://atlas-ausbildung.de/Training atlas provides a comprehensive overview of the various training opportunities in the Capital Region. Divided into “Care and Therapy”, “Health Administration and Trade”, “Technology and Crafts” and “Health Tourism, Service and Nutrition”, there is a lot of information about the respective areas and professions – such as what prerequisites are necessary, who offers the training and what career opportunities are available at the end.  

University graduates can also be found in many places each year. The Study atlas of HealthCapital Berlin-Brandenburg groups together all the necessary information here: for example, about the admission requirements, the content of the courses, the types of degree programs and where they are offered.  

Companies located in the State capital of Potsdam should be represented in the Training and internship guide. The city of Potsdam publishes this brochure once a year together with partners in the Potsdam Experts Forum. The brochure is distributed in all secondary schools in the city and displayed at career orientation fairs. If a company would like to be included in the brochure with its offers for training, studies, internships or holiday jobs, it can register for this using the registration form. The training guide then describes on one page what the schools, institutions and companies offer to the next generation of employees.  

Generating enthusiasm among students 

Companies and research institutions themselves can do a lot to inform students about their work and get them excited about healthcare. There are already initiatives to that effect. For example, the Berlin-based MINTinside project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education, aims to address the young professionals of the future. The goal here is to motivate young people to engage with STEM topics in their free time as well and to generate interest in a future STEM profession – among other things, with a workshop in Hennigsdorf for hands-on practice. Companies can, for example, participate in “Call a scientist” and apply for events via MINTinside.  

The Glass Laboratory is also aimed at students, which is operated by the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association together with the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) and Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH. The educational facility has six student laboratories as extracurricular learning sites and around 20 experimental courses on the topics of molecular biology, cell biology, neurobiology, chemistry, radioactivity and ecology.  

Interesting for companies: Trade fairs and project weeks 

To help the companies to get the suitable employees for the future, there are again some portals, events and trade fairs. For example, the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Berlin) organizes an internship week, in which young people aged 15 and older can spend up to five days getting to know five companies. For the companies, taking part in the internship week means discovering young talent at an early stage, presenting themselves as an attractive employer and getting to know potential junior staff, as the IHK emphasizes on its website.  

The IHK also offers companies support and information for recruiting and onboarding junior staff. In addition, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce has launched the nationwide campaign website “Ausbildung macht mehr aus uns” (“Training makes more of us”), which addresses trainees, parents and companies alike and generally makes apprenticeships more attractive.  

Direct contact and a spontaneous conversation are also a very good means of recruiting young talent, and trade fairs offer the opportunity to do just that. The capital city portal Berlin.de has compiled an overview of training and job fairs in Berlin. This year, for example, the Jobmesse Berlin will be held at the Olympic Stadium (October 14) or the three-day Connecticum career and recruiting fair (October 24-26), giving companies the chance to approach and meet their future employees.  

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Are you looking for qualified professionals in Berlin?

You can publish your job offers on our website. Right after registering you as an employer on our Berlin focused job platform you can start. Let us know once you have published a job add there – we then can promote your jobs on our social media channels on Facebook , LinkedIn and Instagram. Our job portal informs about any Berlin-based job and we promote this platform on national or international job fairs to any Berlin-interested professionals and talents.

Furthermore with the Business Immigration Service, we provide support in the application process for work and residence permits for foreign specialists, which you can adjust for your own needs. Talk to us as early in the process as possible, so that we can help organize the best possible support for the institutions involved.
If you need more suppport with any aspects of talents and recruitment - talk to us! We look forward to receiving your message.

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