The shortage of skilled workers affects all sectors, particularly the service sector. According to the Ifo Institute, half of all businesses in the transport and warehousing sector report difficulties in finding qualified staff [1]. The Noerpel Group is tackling this issue head on, not only by recruiting new staff, but also by focusing on targeted further training for its existing workforce. To this end, Noerpel has introduced a comprehensive package of measures for systematic staff development.
With around 2,800 employees spanning various professional disciplines, including freight forwarding, administration, warehouse logistics, and IT, Noerpel recognises the importance of long-term employee development. To support this, the company has set up a dedicated Employee Development department, which is responsible for designing and implementing structured training programmes in collaboration with external education partners. 'It is clear that suitable training programmes cannot be developed for all employee groups simultaneously,' explains Bernhard Oberhauser, Head of Employee Development at the Noerpel Group. 'As a first step, we launched a dedicated development programme for our leadership teams.'
Leadership Development in Three Modules
Around 50 managers who are responsible for direct reports have already completed the three-module leadership development programme. A second group began the first module of the intensive qualification initiative in February. "Leaders who manage larger teams have a significant impact across the entire organisation. They act as role models and multipliers, which is why we are starting at the first management level,' says Judith Noerpel-Schneider, Member of the Executive Management Board and sponsor of the Employee Development Team. Feedback from the first participants has been consistently positive. The programme's particular strengths have been identified as its practical relevance, professional exchange and cross-functional collaboration between departments and locations. 'The response confirms that we are moving in the right direction,' says Bernhard Oberhauser. ‘At the same time, we use participant feedback to continuously refine and adapt our programmes to the needs of our colleagues.’
Preparations for further training initiatives are already underway. The Employee Development team is currently designing a dedicated programme for operational and specialist managers, which will be launched soon. In addition, Noerpel has long provided standardised e-learning modules covering topics such as IT security, data protection and occupational safety. Employees can access these digital learning units flexibly and complete them interactively.
Better connected
The next steps have also been finalised. This summer, the Noerpel Group will introduce new software designed to digitally support staff development. 'This tool will enable us to coordinate, manage and systematise our various initiatives even more effectively,' says Bernhard Oberhauser. 'For example, it will allow us to manage training programmes more efficiently, expand the talent development management system and support feedback meetings digitally. Overall, this software solution will enable us to manage our human resources processes centrally from a single system, thereby achieving greater efficiency in HR.”
With its in-house training programme, the Noerpel Group is focusing on systematic staff development. The aim is to nurture the next generation of talent, provide further training for staff and develop managers, thereby retaining staff within the company. ‘It is not enough simply to lament the shortage of skilled workers,’ says Judith Noerpel-Schneider. ‘That is why we are investing in the targeted further training of our staff, creating attractive development opportunities for them while ensuring our high standard of service.’
[1] https://www.ifo.de/pressemitteilung/2023-02-15/mangel-fachkraeften-entspannt-sich-leicht