Going new ways to attract promising talents

Last year, Uniper was able to attract new talents in a very different way. COO Holger Kreetz met the founder of SocialBee – a company with the goal of creating opportunities for refugees and migrants in their new start in Germany – at a conference for strategic leaders in Baden-Baden and saw a great opportunity for Uniper. Holger and Valentina Verrini (EVP, Operational Excellence) then discussed supporting this and agreed it was a great opportunity also for colleagues at Uniper to grow and learn in a different way. With the support of HR a totally new Trainee scheme was established. It’s very different to the usual recruitment techniques but as an organization, we can benefit from a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) point of view, as we get exposed to different experiences, mindsets, educations and ways of being. Priscilla Foncham Andinwo and Neda Fakhr have joined us as part of this programme and have been very engaged, energetic, and enthusiastic ever since.

After they signed the contract with Uniper, Priscilla and Neda started their traineeship in August last year with a very intense but enriching one month training from SocialBee and McKinsey, which gave them a base to start their new positions. In September both women joined the company: Priscilla in the Innovation department and Neda in Operation Excellence. As she had completed Scrum Master training, Priscilla changed to Asset Services after six months and is currently working as a Scrum Master for three different teams, while Neda worked in a project with HR and IT, which provided her the chance to connect with the IT team and to transition to Commercial Solutions IT in May, where she’s helping Uniper to become more digitalized.

Neda, who lived in the Ukraine and moved to Germany last March because of the war could get a residency permit and start a new life based on the contract. She describes the process as stressful because she had to handle the authority parts, the intensive program with lots of classes and courses and the start of a new job at the same time. She felt overwhelmed, but the team she joined was super helpful, very supportive and provided her a smooth transition. “Ever since I entered the company, it just cheers me up. Uniper is not just a job or career for me, it is a life. I was alone in Germany and now I feel like I’ve got a family, which is everything for me. I enjoy every moment of being here”, she says. She also appreciates the inclusiveness and flexibility at Uniper as well as the continuous learning and improvement culture. She received many trainings covering both hard and soft skills, can see the improvement she’s made during the 10 months and received feedback from managers that they can see it too. She recently signed a new two year contract and will stay in Corporate IT.

As this traineeship has been Priscilla’s first job since moving to Germany, she sometimes worried she wouldn’t have much to give. Her team reassured her that whatever she could do was enough and appreciated her work. From the beginning, they involved Priscilla and made her feel like part of the team, which really helped her morale. Working in the Innovation team allowed her to moderate workshops, develop creative methods and create templates that could be used company-wide for all types of workshops. “This traineeship has been a dream come true because it took me to another level in life. Through Uniper I was able to support the people back in my home country. When you help others and you see the smile on their face, you go to bed with so much joy in your heart”, says Priscilla, looking back at her time in the company. 

Rachel Mackenzie, Director Asset Support & Outage Excellence, adds: “The journey that we’ve been on together for the last eleven and a half months has been fantastic. Seeing that you can make a difference and share a little – whether that’s experience building, support or development opportunities – is amazing. Everybody benefits from that.” She accompanied Neda and Priscilla for the last months. But her job is not yet done: Since Priscilla worked in a department which does not currently have any vacancies, Rachel and her are looking for a suitable role. Because the goal is to retain the talents after the programme so that we can continue to benefit from them being part of Uniper!