Trimet

Jun 20, 2018 | In order to show their solidarity with those forced to leave their home countries, people from around one hundred countries are once again celebrating World Refugee Day this year on June 20. The companies engaged in the integration initiative “Wir zusammen” are using this occasion to send a signal for tolerance and openness. The aluminium producer TRIMET – which runs a vocational training project to support integration – is also participating in the joint campaign and is sending greetings via Facebook to refugees and everyone engaged for their integration. “Employment in industry has played a key role in integration for decades. By offering refugees career perspectives, we also open up the opportunity for them to really participate in society,” said Dr. Martin Iffert, Chief Executive Officer of TRIMET Aluminium SE.

“The ‘Wir zusammen’ companies are making an important contribution to making refugees feel welcome in Germany and giving them new perspectives for their lives,” said Marlies Peine, spokesperson for “Wir zusammen”. “Employees also continue to be very engaged and often provide their new colleagues with assistance far beyond their everyday professional lives – whether it is looking for an apartment, dealing with the authorities, or organizing joint leisure activities.”

TRIMET and its employees support the new arrivals to get started in their new lives in Germany and established the project “Vocational training for refugees” in 2015. The materials specialist has made an additional 66 training places available for this purpose. Accompanied by other measures to promote integration, the family-run company wants to open up long-term career perspectives at TRIMET for refugees.

“The initiators of the ‘Wir zusammen’ campaign were aware from the very beginning that personal contact between people in the companies was the key to the successful and sustainable integration of the new arrivals,” explained Marlies Peine. “One of the criteria for those companies that want to join our network is thus that the workforce helps to support the initiative and employees are personally engaged for their new colleagues.”

The “Wir zusammen” companies are using the opportunity on World Refugee Day to emphasize once again that integration is not a new concept for them and that they find cultural diversity enriching. Numerous members will demonstrate this on the network’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wirtschaftzusammen by also uploading team photos together with diverse messages under the hashtags #wirzusammen and #WithRefugees.

By: Wolfgang Nübold