Whether it’s people in need of love, people in need of a job or companies in need of skilled workers: The World Wide Web can often help people find happiness – provided it is used correctly. This is the idea behind the apprentice matching app RECREWT. In contrast to matching apps for adults, it is designed entirely for young people. The aim is not for them to swipe their way to their dream date, but to their dream apprenticeship in Hallbergmoos. The founders, sisters Bianca Kujath and Verena Sedlmeier and brothers Phillip and Fabian Bachfischer, want to use the AI-based tool to help young people and companies find happiness together. The municipality of Hallbergmoos is now cooperating with RECREWT. The declared goal: to actively counteract the shortage of skilled workers and to make the diversity of apprenticeships in Hallbergmoos visible.
Fast, efficient, playful: the municipality of Hallbergmoos is focusing on these aspects in its collaboration with RECREWT. The platform is intended to help bring together apprenticeship seekers and employers in Hallbergmoos in the long term. A key advantage of the app is that small and medium-sized companies also have the same opportunities to attract new applicants as large companies. “On conventional job search portals, students usually only find apprenticeships and companies that they know. The diversity of Hallbergmoos companies falls by the wayside. With RECREWT, we have found a partner that makes this visible and helps pupils from Hallbergmoos and the surrounding area to find an apprenticeship in Hallbergmoos in a fun way,” says Alexander Mademann, business promoter for the municipality of Hallbergmoos, who is delighted with the new cooperation.
Apply – but how?
The search for apprenticeships can often be frustrating for young people. Especially when they are exposed to the plethora of platforms, companies and professions on the internet. RECREWT’s mission therefore goes beyond simply finding jobs. The job search should be fun. “The thought of dedicating themselves to the search and application process without experience is so overwhelming for many young people that they either procrastinate or fall back on jobs and companies they know. We turn the whole process on its head. The aim of RECREWT is to create a positive experience and provide young people with a focused, low-stimulus and simplified approach to the world of work. We pick them up where they have been left until now,” explains social pedagogue and co-founder Bianca Kujath.
Gamification and an educational concept instead of a run-of-the-mill application process
The idea for RECREWT was born with the aim of minimizing the sensory overload in the search for an apprenticeship and making the process as appealing as possible. The educational concept of the app is based on gamification: little text, bright colors, a process that resembles a game and a talking raspberry emoji guide the students through the entire process from profile creation to matching and application. Two key features: An express application process that does not require a CV and a matching analysis simplify the process for applicants and companies. Kujath: “Many companies still require CVs from students. But at a young age, you haven’t achieved that much yet. This often has a discouraging effect. With matching, we focus on soft skills instead. We ask the students which topics they are interested in, where their talents lie and which areas they have already had contact with. This increases motivation and self-confidence.” When an application is submitted, companies then receive a matching analysis that evaluates the questions answered and the applicant’s profile. Kujath: “This allows companies to quickly see why the applicant is a good fit for them.”
An artificial intelligence (AI) makes the training place in Hallbergmoos visible
RECREWT relies on artificial intelligence (AI) for the app. It continuously learns from current studies, patterns and user behavior. Pupils from Hallbergmoos and the surrounding communities then only have to set the search radius. They then receive suggestions from the AI for an apprenticeship in Hallbergmoos. “Just like on Tinder, students can swipe suggested apprenticeships to the right or left,” explains Fabian Bachfischer, co-founder and CIO of RECREWT. However, there is one key difference to dating platforms: “The suggestions are based on the preferences and swiping behavior of young users. But we are not aiming for a 100% match rate. The aim of RECREWT is to open young people’s eyes to training occupations that are not on their radar but could suit them well.
This is because many young people are only aware of a fraction of the highly diversified training landscape. With the help of RECREWT, this discrepancy is now to be closed, at least for the municipality of Hallbergmoos. “The app is the right platform to make the diverse and extensive range of apprenticeships on offer in Hallbergmoos visible. Over 265 companies and around 1,500 businesses are located here,” explains Mademann. The economic promoter of the municipality has every reason to be pleased, especially with a view to the future: “In the past two years, a life science cluster has been created in the Munich Airport Business Park. And with the surf wave, the photovoltaic park and several other major projects, Hallbergmoos will attract further forward-looking companies and industries. The cooperation with RECREWT is the right step to train and retain skilled workers in Hallbergmoos in the long term.” For the municipality, this is a starting signal. “In a second step, we want to integrate students and graduates into the app in order to cover the entire spectrum of skilled workers. We are already in discussions with RECREWT in this regard,” explains Mademann.
A matching pool and school tours for the apprenticeship in Hallbergmoos
There will soon be a matching pool for companies in Hallbergmoos. They will then be able to create a profile on the RECREWT company platform, upload a job advertisement and the matching analysis will take care of the rest. RECREWT is also planning a school tour from September. This is intended to enable companies to make training opportunities in final-year and pre-final-year classes at secondary schools in Hallbergmoos and the surrounding communities visible. A win-win-win situation, so to speak: the students learn about the professional diversity in the search for an apprenticeship from the RECREWT team on site, the companies have the opportunity to draw attention to themselves without additional effort and the teachers have a partner who supports them in providing career guidance for their students. According to Kujath, teachers are often grateful for the offer: “Individual careers guidance in classes of 20 or more is often very time-consuming and almost impossible”. She also points out that most pupils are looking for an apprenticeship close to home: “Moving out is often out of the question for young people. We open their eyes to the regional variety of apprenticeships in Hallbergmoos.”
RECREWT’s services are supplemented by accompanying students to careers fairs: With live fair matching, they help students find their way around on site. Kujath explains: “Even at trade fairs, pupils often only visit the stands of companies they already know. Some training occupations and companies fall completely by the wayside. We are changing that.”
Do you work for a company in Hallbergmoos and would like to benefit from the new trainee matching service? You can take advantage of the RECREWT offer on the following website: https://recrewt.de/schultour-hallbergmoos/.
You can find more information on topics relating to Hallbergmoos companies in the Business menu.
Images (c) RECREWT GmbH
