Hi
@HobbesOnTour Pertinent questions all, and I probably should have put this in a much earlier post:
Just curious....
Do you (or management) actively recruit clients or is there an "assembly line" (apologies for crudity) of clients sent to you?
We will be sent clients by the local social security office/Job Centre: the programmes are for people who are "Long term" unemployed, which is defined as unemployed for over two years, and for migrants and refugees having difficulty integrating. It can run for up to two years at a time. We get a list on Thursday and they will generally turn up on the following Monday.
We can turn people away if they clearly aren't going to fit, and clients can say no, but if the clients refuse all help they will be sanctioned, which is really unpleasant.
As an aside, this is much less flexible than the system in Stuttgart, which was a one stop system where anyone in need could walk into the organisation and get an interview with my boss aka "The Chief", and assistance with everything from housing to drug rehab, and a placement in the programme within a week, regardless of health issues and current addictions. It was designed partly by The Chief, who is a legend in Stuttgart. It was a privilege to work with him and I really wish I could take my current employer there.
What skills/experience do they have, are there any requirements for such from your end or the management?
There are no requirements, it's our job to deal with whoever comes. We have people with an
Ausbildung which is a three year apprenticeship recognised all over Germany, through to people with no work skills, life skills or social skills, or even basic German ability, and with or without psychological issues.
Over the last decade or so the skill level of clients has apparently dropped a great deal, because the local employment situation is fairly good so if people aren't employed there's generally a reason for it. For example, not having an
Ausbildung is pretty rare in Germany: you are more likely to be asked "What's your Ausbildung?" than "What's your job?"
Are there any rules/prohibitions on acquiring "outside" volunteers? (I'm assuming your son is an exception?)
We have a number of volunteers, and the rules are generally the same as for clients. Most are retired and looking to so something useful for their community. Elder Son is unusual because he's a lot younger and is coming to a place he can use a specific skill.
I'm just curious if there's an obvious way to improve productivity of the whole process with the appointment of the "right people". (Again apologies for the crudity).
Not really, and I understand your thinking. If I may up the crudity a notch, for certain local government officials we are sometimes seen as a sort of "dustbin" for the people they don't know how to deal with but need to put on some kind of programme somewhere.
Enthusiastic, experienced volunteers could help you a lot, not just in terms of labour and experience but in freeing up your time to work more closely with the clients.
Judging by the replies to this thread there are quite a few people who would be interested in such a proposition.
I had to think about this a bit, because volunteering is seen differently in this culture.
In some ways it is treated more honourably than in the UK; there's a federal voluntary programme for (mostly) young people to volunteer up to two years in a charity or social organisation where they get all expenses covered and some pocket money which means young people from all backgrounds have financial security and gain useful work experience while volunteering. Volunteers for things like the fire brigade enjoy specific legal protections and get a full
Ausbildung. (Elder Son is currently doing this, because he's awesome).
However, I think the fact that most people have a profession means that if they are working in this profession they expect to be paid. If they don't have the training for something skilled like bike maintenance, they won't volunteer. A skilled volunteer in the specific area of work, like Elder Son, is something of a rarity unless it's a preserved railway or similar.
In some ways I suppose these answers reveal some of the weaknesses of the culture, which cause the problems we are trying to deal with in the first place.
