Bremen, July 8, 2021 – The digital industry is developing at a rapid pace. New products and technologies are constantly coming onto the market. In order to keep up, it is essential to engage in continuous professional development. Instead of imposing training from above, the group of companies relies on the commitment of its employees. Colleagues give presentations, organize CoPs (communities of practice), or reading circles, among other things, to help each other advance. Personal commitment gives the topic a different status within the company. In addition, self-organized knowledge transfer promotes high quality in development and creation and strengthens team spirit.
"In order to keep pace with the constant changes in the digital industry, we need to acquire new knowledge. Our employees show interest and commitment in tackling this aspect independently—they organize many continuing education opportunities themselves. This means that the content is tailored to the needs of the respective teams and there is room for learning. This also promotes a positive and fear-free culture of error," says team neusta Managing Director Dr. Heinz Kierchhoff. The Community of Practice is an example of self-organized continuing education within the company. There are CoPs on various topics, such as the Java programming language or sustainability. Interested parties meet regularly to discuss specialist topics. The aim is to exchange experiences, develop solutions, and create best practice examples. This promotes exchange beyond project work and allows participants to benefit from the experiences of their colleagues.
Friday breakfasts
Another way of imparting knowledge is through the so-called Friday breakfasts. Here, employees give presentations to their colleagues on a topic of their choice – the focus is on agile software development. Participation is voluntary. “Due to the coronavirus crisis, training opportunities such as the Friday breakfasts are currently taking place digitally. This has the advantage that colleagues who are not based in Bremen can also participate. This further strengthens the networking of employees at the various locations,” says Kierchhoff.
Reading circle
The “Read IT” reading circle shows that employees are motivated to pursue further training on their own initiative. An employee initiated “Read IT” to discuss IT literature with colleagues. The group decides in advance which book to read. Every two weeks, the participants meet to discuss the chapters they have read at home. In this way, they acquire knowledge that goes beyond their actual work. At the end of a book, a review is written. This is made available online to all employees – so others can also benefit from the knowledge. “Initiative and responsibility are part of our corporate culture and are practiced every day, as the reading circle shows. We are happy to support such ideas and, for example, take care of ordering the necessary specialist books,” explains Kierchhoff.
The lab
Both new colleagues and employees who have been working with customers for a long time have the opportunity to acquire know-how outside their technology stack and expand their skills in the lab. Anyone who starts in the lab must first complete a code challenge. This tests where there is a need to acquire new knowledge or deepen existing knowledge. Participants then apply their skills to various projects in the lab.
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