Arrived: Our new trainee
Ali Taher found out about the System Alliance Hub Betriebsgesellschaft training scheme by chance. Three months after starting training, he and the Hub team are certain: It was a real stroke of luck. Together with Yavuz Iyidogan, who is in the last year of his training in Niederaula, he talks about his first impressions and experiences in the Hub, but also about plans and goals for the coming years.
Taking the scenic route to the destination
After completing secondary school, Ali only considered training as his next step in education. “I want to learn in practice, not just by listening, but also by trying things out and getting involved,” he says. He began his search for a suitable training scheme at the start of 2021. During this time, he worked for logistics companies and in large warehouses to fill the gaps, first in Kassel and later in Bad Hersfeld. Despite this initial work experience in logistics, Ali wanted to train as an office management agent. The idea of applying to a freight forwarding company – or, better yet, directly to System Alliance Hub Betriebsgesellschaft – came to him from an acquaintance whose wife works for the Hub partner NG.network. A real coincidence – and a stroke of luck for Ali and the team at the Hub. “The application was immediately followed by an interview with Gudrun Raabe, the managing director of the Hub, and Eberhard Göder, who looks after the trainees at the Hub. “So my search finally came to an end in mid-2023!” says the 22-year-old. His training as a forwarding and logistics services agent began right away on 1st August in Niederaula.
Long may his time here continue: Training at the Hub
Ali used August as a “trial month” to get to know all the departments he will be working in during his three-year training. In addition to the main handling facility, these also included IT, Accounting and Quality Management (QM) as well as External Transport Management at CargoNetwork, which controls certain outbound traffic from Niederaula.
Since the beginning of September, Ali has been completing the first of eleven training phases in the QM team. There, together with his colleagues and mentors, he processes requests from partners as well as statistics and newsletters. "I've liked QM the most so far, simply because I've worked here the most," he reports, "but I'm also looking forward to the other departments."
Another special highlight of training at System Alliance Hub Betriebsgesellschaft are the practical placements. Trainees can spend several weeks getting to know the processes of other logistics service providers in partner companies of NG.network. Ali appreciates this opportunity for further training: “The placements throughout the network are a great opportunity because you get to know other topics in other companies. For example, when we learn about scheduling or air freight at school, we can see it in action in other companies.”
Two's company
“I just hoped for the best,” says Ali, “but the Hub and particularly the team exceeded expectations. I just didn't expect that I would get on so well with everyone and that I would feel so comfortable so quickly." He gets on particularly well with Yavuz Iyidogan, who began his training in Niederaula in 2022: “Yavuz helps me with questions and when I am studying for exams, he knows a lot of my teachers.” The two often help each other in their everyday work.
But Ali has also made friends within the team through shared hobbies. He has already played football against colleagues from IT – but he doesn’t want to say which team won. Yavuz and other team members were also at the game and supported in the crowd. A great moment for Ali:
One step at a time
Ali is not yet thinking about his future career, so soon after starting his training. "First of all, I want to finish my training; at the moment I can't decide whether I will continue after that," he says, "but at this stage I can well imagine working in logistics." Next, he is looking forward to getting his forklift licence. “I’m really excited about what the next few years have in store for me. I want to take a step forward every month and develop myself further,” he says. He adds: “I get a lot of explanations, I can participate a lot, I don’t just have to watch and listen. This makes learning much easier for me.”
It seems that Ali did not end up at the Hub by chance, rather, it seems to have been his destiny. Or at least both sides got a real stroke of luck.
