Securing skilled labour with ideas?
Available from us at the Osnabrück Region Skilled Labour Day!
This year's Osnabrück Region Skilled Labour Day took place at the Coppenrath Innovation Centre (CIC) in Osnabrück under the motto "Learning from and with each other". Around 150 participants - including managing directors, HR managers and regional supporters - learnt about the current challenges of recruiting and retaining skilled workers and received practical inspiration. The WIGOS Fachkräftebüro was also involved as a co-organiser.
This year's Skilled Labour Day Osnabrück Region took place at the Coppenrath Innovation Center (CIC) in Osnabrück under the motto "Learning from and with each other". Around 150 decision-makers, HR managers, experts and supporters from various sectors came together to discuss key issues relating to the recruitment, retention and qualification of skilled workers.
One of the co-organisers was the WIGOS Fachkräftebüro, which provides significant support for regional cooperation in the area of securing skilled workers.
A venue with a signalling effect
In his welcoming address, Prof Dr Felix Osterheider referred to the special significance of the conference venue. With the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), an internationally renowned research institution had deliberately chosen the CIC - a modern location in the immediate vicinity of the railway station and city centre, which acts as a magnet for highly qualified specialists. This impressively demonstrates the importance of attractive working and research environments, especially in areas where competition for talent is particularly high.
Osterheider emphasised that this insight can be applied to the entire regional economy: companies must invest specifically in structures that attract, retain and develop skilled workers.
Practical reports from the regional economy
The event focussed on practical examples from companies, moderated by Christina Relius.
Several companies from the Osnabrück region showed how they put securing skilled workers into practice:
✓ Wäscherei Schwider GmbH, Dissen
Sarah Schwekendiek explained how the company has initiated far-reaching changes with the help of the Chamber of Crafts' "Employer attractiveness in the skilled trades" coaching programme. Process optimisation, an improved corporate culture and targeted employee development have led to greater satisfaction and increased loyalty. Over 90 companies are now taking part in the programme - a clear indication of the need for structured support services.
✓ Modehaus L&T, Osnabrück
Lennard Böhne presented the path to the "IHK Top Training Company" quality seal, which L&T received in 2021 and 2024. For the company, training young people is "one of the most important strategic instruments for securing skilled labour in the long term". The seal not only documents quality, but also sets standards for continuous further development.
✓ Klinkerwerk B. Feldhaus GmbH & Co KG, Bad Laer
Alexander Schröder showed how international talent can be successfully recruited using the example of two trainees from China, who gave personal accounts of their first few months at the company and in the region. According to Schröder, the intensive support provided by WIGOS was crucial for a successful start.
✓ Klinikum Osnabrück GmbH
Sebastian Winter emphasised the importance of structured support for international specialists. The Welcome & Connect Centre Osnabrück had provided crucial support with issues such as finding accommodation, formalities and cultural integration.
Important to know!
The Osnabrück Region Skilled Labour Day is to be continued in 2026 - once again with the aim of bringing stakeholders together, sharing knowledge and developing concrete solutions for the future of securing skilled labour in the region.
Further training and professional reorientation as topics for the future
In addition to training and international recruitment, the focus was also on new ways of gaining qualifications:
✓ InnovaITec GmbH & Agentur für Arbeit
Alexander Pohle presented a joint retraining project in IT services. It is aimed at employees without a vocational qualification who want to develop their careers. According to Pohle, financially subsidised retraining has "enormous potential for securing skilled labour". The Federal Employment Agency supports companies and employees with advice and funding opportunities.
✓ Transformation Hub Osnabrück (T-Hub)
Pia Barth showed how the T-Hub supports small and medium-sized companies in particular with transformation processes. The key questions are:
"Where do we start?" and "Who can help us?".
The T-Hub connects stakeholders, identifies needs and develops concrete solutions.
✓ Knowledge transfer in SMEs
In the keynote speech "Knowledge leaves when baby boomers leave", Ann-Christin Rinker (Rinker & Rinker) showed how companies can secure the knowledge of experienced employees - systematically, practically and sustainably. The focus was on preserving valuable experiential knowledge for future generations.
Technological innovation: robotics as an opportunity for skilled workers
Another highlight was the presentation of the "RoboCraft - Robotics and exoskeletons in the skilled trades" project by the Chamber of Skilled Crafts. Participants were able to try out exoskeletons for themselves and learn first-hand how robotics can reduce physically demanding activities and make jobs more attractive in the long term.
Exchange and networking: the market of opportunities
Finally, the Market of Opportunities provided an opportunity to find out about advisory services, make contacts and explore new opportunities for cooperation. For many participants, the open dialogue was a key highlight of the event.
Caption: (from left): The 16 speakers at the Skilled Trades Day 2025 presented ideas for recruiting and retaining skilled workers together with moderator Christina Relius (6th from left).
Photo: © Julia Nickel/ Chamber of Skilled Crafts Osnabrück-Emsland-Grafschaft Bentheim
Staying tuned with stories?
Check us out for more news from the region.
Discover more news, developments and stories from the Osnabrück region - up-to-date, relevant and thematically appropriate to your interests.
