A complex area: How can the know-how of older staff be passed on to the youth?/ Forum of the network Westmünsterland

Gescher/Kreis Borken. How can knowledge, which has been collected over the years, of elder staff that will leave the company soon, be passed on to the next generation? For medium-size companies an exciting and sometimes even an existential question: 30 delegates from regional companies of the county Borken (Germany) accepted the invitation of the network Westmünsterland to visit the TRAPO AG in Gescher-Hochmoor. As the network reports to the press, knowledge transfer and protection of qualification were the topics on the agenda of the forum "Demographic-orientated Human Resources" which has been offered by the network, dealing with different issues of corporate human resources.

"Facing aging staff, this topic preys on many companies minds.", is Martina Schmeink's, project representative of the network Westmünsterland, explanation for the great interest of the management. Many systems for knowledge management are to complex and expensive to handle and therefore not always feasible.

Peter Steinmann, Human Resources Manager of Wicke, Sprockhövel (close to Wuppertal), presented the instrument "Nova.PE", that is used for retention and passing on of know-how and practical knowledge.

In his experiential report he described impressively the flexibility of the model and the possibilities to adjust to the individual corporate requirements as well as to the personal needs of the persons concerned.

Kai Hermann, Manager of TRAPO AG, which, with 180 employees, moves a lot in material handling: "We are glad to host this highly interesting information event, as the knowledge of our staff is our greatest asset. Hence, for a company in our line of business and of our size, it is existential to protect practical knowledge."

Also Human Resources Manager Karin Leiting confirms that possibilities of knowledge transfer are very important for the TRAPO AG. So far the company worked successfully with so called "tandems", where experienced and young employees work together. "For various key positions within the company, however, we are looking for another solution. ", reports the authorized signatory.

Peter Steinmann's presentation was followed by an inspired discussion among the delegates of medium-sized companies and during the following refreshment presented by the TRAPO AG preliminary experiences were discussed.