"Life is actually too short to learn German"

"Life is actually too short to learn German"

Mohamad Houria's fingers fly over the keyboard. He clicks through a series of documents in a steady staccato, long rows of numbers stretch across the computer screen. "It'll be over in a minute," a woman's voice murmurs in the background. Not for Houria. He doesn't leave until the work is done - and there's still plenty to do.

Houria adjusts his glasses. Office supplies are piled up at the next table, coffee cups are stacked next to empty sandwich bags. Houria's desk, on the other hand, is tidy. He leans forward with his eyebrows furrowed. Then he puts his computer to sleep with a swift click of the mouse and turns around: "Cigarette break?"

Houria's workplace is on the sixth floor of GASAG AG in Berlin Schöneberg. The 26-year-old Syrian has been working as an accountant in the energy company's finance department since 2020. The tasks are easy for him. "He is conscientious and, above all, fast," says his boss, Stephanie Ranneberg. When Houria is on vacation, this is immediately noticeable. "Then everything takes a little longer." It wasn't easy to get a permanent contract for him. But it worked out in the end. "We're delighted that he can stay with us," says Ranneberg.

International trainees at GASAG

As one of the city's largest regional energy suppliers, the GASAG Group has around 1700 employees. Houria is one of them. To be more precise, he is one of six. In 2016 and 2017, the Berlin-based company offered a special training program for people with refugee experience. "In the midst of the refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016, we saw it as our responsibility as a company to help," recalls Carolin Marggraff. She has worked at GASAG since 2003 and heads up the Recruiting & Employer Branding team. "Some colleagues helped out in refugee shelters during their working hours." At the same time, the management team asked themselves what integration into the training process could look like: What can the company do? What is realistic and will really help in the end?

The model was launched in 2016 with the first three trainees. The company took a lot of time to select them, reviewed numerous applications and held intensive discussions. Together with an Iranian and an Afghan, Houria won the race after a two-week internship and began training as an industrial clerk.

"The key to a country is the language"

Houria stands shivering in the covered reception area of GASAG with his shoulders hunched and takes a drag from his e-cigarette. Peach Ice is written on the small glass container. Houria grins: "Nobody really knows whether it's healthier than normal cigarettes. But at least it doesn't stink and your throat doesn't itch as much." Houria's German is good. Every now and then he pauses for a moment, searching for the right word. Sometimes the sentence structure gets a bit muddled. Then he smiles apologetically. A friend once said: "Life is actually too short to learn German." Houria did it anyway. The journey was anything but easy.

Houria grew up in Syria as one of five children. He started working at the age of six, collecting money from passengers on his father's bus trips. He later helped out in a hairdressing salon and worked in a tailor's shop and a logistics company. At the age of 18, Houria graduates from high school and begins to study. But war is raging in Syria. Houria flees to Turkey with his brother. Life there is difficult and staying put is not an option. They risk the crossing to Greece in a boat. "That was terrible," Houria remembers. The brothers make their way to Germany on foot and by train and end up stranded in Berlin.

Houria's hopes of a better time were quickly dashed. "The most difficult phase actually began after we arrived," he says quietly. Houria lives in a gym for over a year. He makes makeshift sheets to cover the bed assigned to him. "It was like living in a small tent." Months pass by in a jumble of administrative procedures and bureaucratic German. Finally, Houria is able to register for an integration course. He quickly realizes: "The key to a country is the language." So he learns.

GASAG also supports its trainees with individual German courses. "Learning German was the be-all and end-all," emphasizes HR manager Marggraff. From centralized lessons and group seminars to evening courses, the company has done everything it can to raise the level as quickly as possible. "In addition to the language hurdles, our trainees were also faced with this incredible bureaucratic jungle," she says. "Residence permits, court appointments, asylum procedures - we supported our trainees wherever we could."

Progress in labor market integration

The GASAG program was a success. All six participants completed their training and two are still working in the company today. Now that he has been taken on, Houria is no longer just one of six. A recent study by the Institute for Employment Research shows that around 559,000, or 54%, of those who fled to Germany in 2015 were employed in 2021. If the stay is extended by one year, the figure is even 57 percent.

For Wido Geis-Thöne, these figures are proof of a positive development. "We are seeing great progress in labor market integration," says the Senior Economist for Family Policy and Migration Issues at the German Economic Institute in an interview with ntv.de. However, language requirements and uncertain prospects of remaining in the country continue to make the process more difficult.

"It needs the willingness and commitment of the individual companies," confirms GASAG HR manager Marggraff. Legislative reforms that hardly lead to any relief after lengthy procedures would not be enough. Refugee migration alone cannot solve the German skills shortage. "But our project is a good example of how the investment still pays off." No further implementation of the training model is planned as yet, but the company is always open to any kind of application.

Back in the office, Houria hangs his jacket over the back of his chair and opens his mailbox. "I've found a good way to write emails in particularly nice German," he says. He enters the necessary terms into ChatGPT and the chatbot delivers the formulated message in a matter of seconds. "I knew how," says Houria with a laugh. It is certain that he wants to stay with GASAG. Apart from that, he doesn't plan far into the future; even planning his vacation is difficult. Houria will be able to travel freely in the future. He officially became a German citizen two months ago. "That was my highlight this year," he says with a smile.

1. GASAG, as an energy company and a major supplier in Berlin, recognized its responsibility towards refugees and initiated a training program in 2016.
2. Houria's journey to working at GASAG as an accountant involved overcoming language barriers due to his refugee status from Syria, which he accomplished through various learning opportunities provided by the company.
3. The IAB (Institute for Employment Research) reports that refugees who flee to Germany and stay for at least a year experience a 57% employment rate, showcasing progress in labor market integration.

Source: www.ntv.de