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Sitting in front of the tram panel, 24-year-old Benedikt Hanne deftly drove the red and white carriages, hours before heading to Nuremberg University to study for a degree in social work.
As an apprentice, Hanne was heavily monitored through a trainer and the tram she drove had no passengers.
But if all goes well, you’ll soon have a full-fledged tram driver ferrying other people around Nuremberg in the evenings or on weekends, when you don’t have categories to take.
Faced with severe labour shortages, public maritime operators, such as the Nuremberg Municipal Service, have had to resort to new resources to expand their workforce.
It has to hire 160 new drivers every year to operate its subways, trams and buses.
For Harald Ruben, who leads the company’s recruitment and education team, it is clear that “we will only achieve this goal if we explore all possibilities. “
The shipping company has put up an ad for college students, offering them part-time jobs to drive streetcars outside of school hours.
To be eligible, they must have a regular driving licence, be over 21 years of age and be “reliable and able to drive and work in shifts”.
Many sectors in Germany, as in other European countries, are suffering from severe labour shortages that are expected to worsen if urgent action is taken.
Public shipping operators have warned that they may have to reduce the number of buses, trams or metros, as tens of thousands of jobs are expected to become vacant in the coming years.
Staff shortages have prompted public transport across the country to go on strike in recent weeks to highlight their plight, in the face of the Verdi union’s warning of deteriorating conditions.
Many operators report 20-30% of vacancies, and shortages contribute to a vicious cycle of overworked workers who then fall ill, making the situation worse.
Other German cities such as Mannheim and Munich are also hiring academics as potential part-time staff to fill gaps in public transport.
– ‘Really cool’ –
Hanne never imagined she’d be driving a streetcar until a few weeks ago, when she saw the ad.
He implemented it immediately, he said, and was one of five recruited. In total, the won 36 applications.
Dressed in the company’s red and blue uniform, the entry-level drivers attend an intensive four-week course held during the school holidays.
After several hours of lectures, students move on to a tram simulator before moving on to a real tram.
They are also expected to do extra homework to compensate for the accelerated pace of the course, which is part of the normal training duration.
After obtaining her driver’s license and spending several days accompanied by a coach, Hanne will drive a tram for 20 hours a week.
Hanne, who used to work part-time at a gas station, says it doesn’t bother her to have to juggle college and work.
“If I had the choice, I would prefer to take the tram before going to college, so that the day ends with classes,” he said, adding that he seeks to “paint at other times of the day as well to see other people. “”. and situations. “
“It’s a wonderful feeling to have all those cars with you,” Hanne said.
“My classmates think it’s great, my family circle thinks it is great. One day they’ll take my tram, that’s for sure.
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