"Don't just think in black and white when recruiting skilled workers".

Meeting of the employer network Onboarding@Münsterland at Hupfer Metallwerke in Coesfeld

MÜNSTERLAND/COESFELD: Employers from the Münsterland region met at Hupfer Metallwerke in Coesfeld last week under the motto "Networking Employers - Attracting Skilled Workers" to exchange professional and personal views. The invitation was extended by the Onboarding@Münsterland service of Münsterland e.V., whose employer network has existed since 2020 and has now grown to over 150 members. The service supports both companies in employer branding and location marketing, as well as skilled workers in arriving, feeling good and staying here in the region.

"With the employer network Onboarding@Münsterland we have positioned ourselves very well as a region in the competition for skilled workers. We see the recruitment of skilled workers as a joint task of the region and the business community," emphasised Monika Leiking, head of the Onboarding@Münsterland service at Münsterland e.V. Since 2020, the approximately 150 members of the network have been united in promoting Münsterland as an attractive region to work and live in. "We support the recruiting measures of companies with nationwide online campaigns aimed at skilled workers outside the region. In this way, we want to whet the appetite for THE GOOD LIFE in Münsterland and, in addition to information on top employers and detailed portraits of the region on our website, we offer skilled workers a personal advisory service on individual questions about living, living and working in Münsterland."

André Bloßfeld, a newcomer to Münsterland, also became aware of the service and sought advice. He presented his personal experience of looking for a job in Münsterland at the event. The quality management specialist moved here from Munich to live closer to his in-laws with his wife and two children. "I had no idea about what companies there were in Münsterland and received tips for the application process during the counselling. My experience was that companies look first at professional qualifications and take less account of work experience. And since I don't have an academic degree, but 'only' vocational training plus a technician qualification, I fell off the grid. It didn't work out with the companies in Münsterland, I'm now employed at Miele in Gütersloh. As an applicant, I would like companies to be more flexible in their selection of applicants. From my point of view, they should not only think in black and white, because it is no longer enough to match the CV one-to-one with the job description," explained Bloßfeld in conversation with Monika Leiking.

In the roundtable discussion, the HR managers exchanged views on, among other things, the onboarding of foreign skilled workers in the company and company health management as an instrument for securing skilled workers. Peter Passon from the Eucon Group: "As an employer, we always have to come up with new, creative ideas to convince skilled workers to work for our own company and the region. Flexibility plays an important role in this." Matthias Strotmann from BARMER emphasised: "Health and work-life balance have become more important and this also increases the demand on companies to offer employees corresponding offers, such as company health management."

The host company, Hupfer Metallwerke, told the network about its in-house e-learning platform, which is to be used by its own employees for continuous further training in the future: "The e-learning platform is an important building block for us to qualify active and future employees for our profession. In this way, we also provide good opportunities for career changers who do not have experience in the industry and sector. Lifelong learning will be increasingly important for all of us in the future," emphasised Matthias Kockmann, Human Resources Manager at Hupfer Metallwerke GmbH & Co KG.

Employers from all sectors can become members of the network and thus secure a wide range of advantages: more visibility, support in location marketing, exclusive networking and specialist events, a personal advisory service for applicants, welcome events for new employees and campaigns for skilled workers.

More about the Onboarding@Münsterland service

The Onboarding@Münsterland service was created as a regional initiative by employers and business stakeholders in the Münsterland region. It was officially launched in 2020 and is implemented by Münsterland e.V. with the support of numerous institutions in the region. The service is not only aimed at employers, but also directly at skilled workers. These are welcomed to the region in an appreciative manner, for example with welcome events at exciting locations in the region, personal counselling and information on the topics of working, living and housing.
Further information is available from Monika Leiking, leiking@muensterland.com, 02571 949315, and at www.muensterland.com/onboarding .