Source: AFP
Sitting in front of the tram’s control panel, Benedikt Hanne, 24, deftly steered the red and white carriages, hours before heading to Nuremberg university to study for a degree in social work.
As an apprentice, Hanne was closely watched by an instructor and the tram he drove had no passengers.
But if all goes well, he’ll soon be a full-fledged tram driver shuttling people around Nuremberg in the evenings or on weekends when he doesn’t have classes to attend.
Squeezed by a severe manpower shortage, public transport companies such as Nuremberg’s urban service VAG had to find new sources to expand their employee pool.
VAG needs to hire 160 new drivers a year to operate its metro, trams and buses.
For Harald Ruben, who heads the company’s recruitment and training team, it was clear that “we will not reach this goal if we do not explore all possible possibilities.”
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The transport company has published an advertisement aimed at students, offering part-time work to drive trams outside school hours.
To qualify, they need a normal driving licence, be over 21 and be “reliable and fit for driving and shift work”.
Many sectors in Germany, as in other European countries, suffer from a severe shortage of human resources, which is expected to worsen if urgent measures are not taken.
Public transport operators have warned they may have to cut the number of buses, trams or metros as tens of thousands of jobs are expected to remain vacant in the coming years.
The labor divide has led public transport workers across the country to strike in recent weeks to highlight their plight, with the Verdi union warning of worsening conditions.
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Many operators report up to 20 to 30 percent unfilled positions, with shortages contributing to a vicious cycle of overworked workers who then become ill, exacerbating the situation.
Other German cities such as Mannheim and Munich have also started using students as potential part-timers to fill public transport gaps.
‘Really cool’
Source: AFP
Hanne never thought he would drive a tram until a few weeks ago when he spotted the VAG ad.
He applied right away, he said, and became one of five hired. In total, VAG received 36 applicants.
Dressed in the company’s red and blue uniform, learner drivers are put through a fast-paced four-week program which takes place during the school holidays.
After several hours of theory lessons, trainees practice on a tram simulator, before moving on to a real tram.
They are also expected to receive extra homework to make up for the accelerated pace of the class, which is half the length of regular training.
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After driving tests and several days accompanied by an instructor, Hanne will drive the tram alone for 20 hours a week.
Hanne, whose previous part-time jobs included working at a gas station, said he doesn’t mind juggling classes and university work at all.
“If I can choose, I’d rather drive the tram before I go to university so that the day ends with classes,” he said, adding, however, that he wants to “work at other times of the day to see different people. and situations”.
“It’s just a great feeling, to have all those wagons behind you,” Hanne said.
“My classmates think it’s really cool, my family too. They’ll catch my streetcar one day, that’s for sure.”
Source: AFP