Ten French youngsters from near the German border break new ground with their vocational education and training course. In addition to the two-year French BTS négociations relations clients, they can add the German Einzelhandelskaufmann or retail sales assistant in just one year.
From the beginning, the young men and women, who are between 18 and 22, have been working at Möbel Martin and in the Globus department store. "This has been a real team effort," explained Heidrun Schulz, Regional Head for the German Federal Employment Agency.
Along with her agency, it was all thanks to the efforts of the two companies, the French employment authorities – Pôle emploi Moselle – and on the educational side, Henri Nominé Secondary School in Saargemünd and Friedrich List School in Saarbrücken.
"These young people are making a terrific contribution," said Michael Karrenbauer, managing director at Möbel Martin. The project was made possible by an agreement on cross-border vocational training between Saarland and the French region of Lothringen, signed in 2014.