Hartmann Reederei recognized as "TOP Training company"

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry for East Frisia and Papenburg (IHK) awarded the seal “TOP Training company” to Hartmann Reederei on Friday, April 16. This makes Hartmann the first shipping company in the German Northwest to receive this award.

The certificate was handed over by the honorary auditor Günter Geerdes. Together with Peter Detmers, he audited the company in a multi-stage process.

“We were particularly impressed by the fact that trainees are involved in the ongoing processes early on. They are assigned with smaller projects according to their level of knowledge. This is how young people learn to take responsibility”, reports Günter Geerdes. And Timo Weise, IHK Head of Training and Education, adds: “We are delighted to award the first company in the shipping sector, as this industry is fundamental to our region. Hartmann Reederei is a pioneer for high-quality training in this area."

"We are proud of this award," says Jan-Lars Kruse, Managing Director of Hartmann Reederei. “Employees are our top priority. The IHK award shows us that we are on the right course and that we are an attractive employer for young people who want to make a difference. With regards to the shortage of skilled workers, it is also an important component when it comes to attracting the best talent for us. "

Ten trainees are currently learning at Hartmann. Most of them are aspiring shipping clerks, but office management and IT training are also provided. “We rely on personal, trustworthy and timely exchange,” says Maik Escherhaus, Head of Training at Hartmann Reederei since 2005. “That is why we know exactly which topics are on our trainees’ agenda, which issues they may be facing, and, above all, how we can solve this jointly."

The training at Hartmann includes many practical elements and also takes into account the trainees‘ specific learning objectives: "One person may be interested in an internship with an in-house commercial management company, another one in spending a couple of days on board," explains Maik Escherhaus. “If you know each other well that‘s not a problem at all. We believe in our trainees, we encourage them to take responsibility and we support them, if necessary. "

In addition to the official training plan, he and the trainees organize excursions and activities that have little to do with shipping at first glance. “The proverbial ‘thinking outside the box‘ is important to us. In our industry, one should be open to new ideas and understand that there are different approaches,” says Maik Escherhaus.