ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A new campaign in Germany aims to attract new recruits to the sector, explains Katja Scholz.

reinindiezukunft.de - the relaunch of this website in May marked the start of this year’s trainee campaign by the Federal Guild of Contract Cleaners (BIV).  And the name of the website itself gives a clear indication of the content: “We would like to recruit young people and show them the possibilities offered by a varied vocational training programme that will open up opportunities for them”, explained Steffi Reuter, BIV’s head of marketing who is also involved in training.

The core of the trainee campaign is the newly redesigned website. Its fresh design shows what trainees in the contract cleaning trade can expect and what career opportunities are on offer. “The experience of previous years with our social media channels has shown us that it pays to catch young people where they are most likely to be found and to address them directly in their own environment. This approach is supported by good content with which we hope to attract the attention of potential trainees towards us”, said Reuter.

In 2020 there were 1826 young people undergoing training in the contract cleaning trade spread across all three apprenticeship years.  How many trainees will take up training in the coming year is difficult to estimate. The fact is, however, that the demand for male and female contract cleaners is very high throughout the whole of Germany.

To give potential trainees a comprehensive overview of what training places are available and where, an apprentice place radar has been integrated into the website in which all BIV member companies with vacant training places are listed by region. There are currently around 2,500 members.

Those companies that have an apprenticeship vacancy are stored in a database and can thus easily be found by young people looking for a place when they search by criteria such as postcode or location. “The search results will then enable the potential candidate to look at the website of the different companies and apply direct with all the necessary documentation. This is a very convenient way for young people to submit their applications.” 

Those interested can also find general information on the website about training in the contract cleaning trade – such as pay, conditions and training content – as well as possible career opportunities, further training possibilities and the coveted title of master craftsman.

Social media campaign

The target group identified by BIV comprises young people aged between 16 and 18 and their parents. In order to reach this demographic, it has been concentrating its efforts on social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. “We frame our training advertisements, which consist of various different messages, specifically to attract young people and their parents and to direct them to the new trainee website,” said Christopher Lück, BIV’s director of policy and communications. 

“As we have seen in the past, we can reach young people through these channels – and are confident that, with the relaunch of our website, we are offering them a convenient and easily navigable platform for checking out training opportunities in the or for finding a suitable vacancy.