Abshir Mahamud stands in front of an open refrigerator containing 16 bottles. He takes out a bottle and explains, "These are water samples that I have taken from different canals. These samples will go to the lab for analysis." Mahamud is currently training with the city of Stuttgart to become a wastewater technology specialist. He is taking part in the "Together into the Future" training program for refugees.
The Somali has been living in Germany for seven years. He has been in Stuttgart since the beginning of 2016. After attending official language courses as an integration measure and then catching up on his secondary school leaving certificate, he wanted to start training as an industrial mechanic. He had already worked in this profession in Somalia. After an internship at Bosch, he wrote applications. But these were initially followed by standard rejections before a company boss called him.
He explained to him that there were no apprenticeships for industrial mechanics due to the Corona pandemic and that companies in this sector were unable to recruit new employees. He advised him to change his career.
Application with the help of his social worker
That call was a key moment for Mahamud: "I had to start Plan B and go in a different direction. It took a while to make that decision." Now 29, he wanted to work in the field of nature and technology. After the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, he researched which training courses combined environmental protection and technology.
He found a job ad for the city of Stuttgart on the Internet and applied with the help of his social worker. After the recruitment tests and two days of trial work at the main sewage treatment plant in Mühlhausen, it was clear that the profession of wastewater technology specialist suited him.
First, he completed eight months of entry-level training. During this time, he learned the basics of the occupation in the company and received job-specific language instruction. The regular training began in September 2021.
Gaining experience in different areas
He is now in his second year of apprenticeship. School lessons and work at the wastewater treatment plant alternate in blocks. After each block of vocational school, he gets to know another department at the wastewater treatment plant, such as incineration, the metalworking shop or the mechanical plant, where he is currently working. "I really like this change of departments. I am gaining experience in different areas," the apprentice tells us.
One challenge is the language barrier: Mahamud has to understand the task and the language and translate a lot of things in his head. To cope with this double burden, Mahamud receives language support twice a week in the form of job-specific German lessons. He explains, "If I know the language well, I understand everything else better. That's the key."
Trainer Dennis Helsch is very pleased with his protégé. "He tries very hard and is an accommodating young man." He says his prior technical knowledge has helped him. "He was asked to do maintenance work on the incinerator. This specialized job requires reliability and technical knowledge."