SEDIMA connects with the other INQA experimental spaces
The question of how to tackle the skilled labor shortage by intelligently leveraging the diversity of existing workforces and considering the diverse backgrounds of potential new employees lies at the heart of the INQA funding priority "Diversity." Just as the five projects within this initiative—including SEDIMA, which is coordinated by the Social Research Centre (Sozialforschungsstelle)—were entering the second half of their project terms, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the "New Quality of Work" initiative (INQA) it coordinates hosted an event at the Haus des Handwerks in Berlin. The aim was to reflect on the projects' activities to date, generate new ideas for the second project year, foster collaboration between the projects, and devise interconnected transfer strategies. The Social Research Centre was represented in the capital by Dr. Peter Ittermann (SEDIMA Project Manager), Christina Meyn, and Jens Maylandt. SEDIMA’s practical partners also traveled to the event: Jasmine Hohmann (Klinikum Dortmund), Jeanette Koall (rku.it), Markus Maßmann (owner of the eponymous painting company), and Despoina Panteli (Offensive Mittelstand).
The program, designed and moderated by the BMAS and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), offered numerous opportunities for exchange. During the plenary sessions, Dr. Peter Ittermann outlined SEDIMA’s objectives and approaches. SEDIMA’s strategy involves aligning diversity management measures with the various stages of working life (recruitment, onboarding, career development/retention, seniority, and exit). Jasmine Hohmann and Jeanette Koall represented SEDIMA during the "Company Talk" session, where they presented their respective "experimentation spaces." As part of the "Nurse Career Navigator" pilot initiative, Klinikum Dortmund is developing an assessment tool designed to identify the professional development potential of international nursing staff—and eventually the entire nursing workforce—and to provide tailored qualification strategies based on those findings. A second initiative, the "Connect Club," fosters exchange among nursing staff—including discussions regarding their cultural backgrounds—thereby promoting social integration within the hospital and the city of Dortmund. Through its "Navigating Working Life Together as a Mixed Bag" experimentation space, rku.it aims to embed an understanding of diversity within the corporate culture and—above all—to ensure that employees with a migration background reach the senior stage of their careers at the company.
Various exchange formats, such as the "Ideas Workshop" and the "Market of Opportunities," highlighted that these projects face similar challenges in developing and implementing diversity strategies and that there is potential for collaboration.
For more information about the project, visit the following websites: