Bechtle training career jumpers discovering IT

• Smoothing the path to a career in IT
• Programme for IT sales and IT specialists launched
• Cooperation with university on IT qualification programme

Bechtle is counteracting the shortage of skilled IT professionals with its own programme designed for career jumpers. The largest German IT system house is capitalising on the increase in employees looking for a fresh challenge by offering people with no IT expertise the opportunity to get started and specialise in sales, clouds, IT security, the modern workplace and network solutions, by developing its own certificate programme. Complementing the training seminars offered by the Bechtle Academy are tailored courses offered by the private, accredited Provadis School of International Management and Technology AG in Frankfurt am Main, where the academic foundations are laid for careers as account managers or more specialised roles. Participants gain practical experience at the more than 100 national and European Bechtle sites. The IT service provider currently has some 1,200 vacancies and this programme should see 200 to 300 positions being filled per year.

Bechtle takes a multifaceted approach to searching for new talent, leveraging more traditional recruiting methods as well as rolling out a specific programme for career jumpers. In September 2022, a pilot programme was launched in cooperation with the Provadis School and the decision has now been made to continue the offering. By doing so, Bechtle wants to break new ground in the effort to combat the skills shortage by focussing on people and their potential, rather than their previous professional experience. “This programme is much less about progressing up the career ladder and more about an enthusiasm for IT and a readiness to perform. If people are willing to take a leap and help us shape the future, they are in the right place,” explains Julia Loza Roger, who is heading up the programme in the People Development department.

Positive feedback

Acceptance onto the programme is dependent on the results of an assessment of potential, which is crucial as the scheme has been much better received than expected. In the summer of 2022, over 4,000 candidates applied to join the pilot, 1,800 of whom then went through potential assessments, before Bechtle made direct offers to the most promising 24. With this purposefully small and select group, Bechtle kicked off the five-month pilot programme, which included practical modules and seminars in Frankfurt and Neckarsulm, allowed for networking opportunities, and saw experienced employees, who had also switched careers to join Bechtle, act as mentors.

Boosting diversity

“Together with Bechtle, we have established an ambitious programme that demands participants be highly organised and motivated, but which gives them the skills they need in a relatively short period of time,” says Dr Florian Volk, Programme Head in the Computer Science and Business Informatics department at the Provadis School. Julia Loza Roger continues, “The programme has had another positive effect by boosting diversity at the company. We have participants with all kinds of cultural backgrounds, differing expertise and experience in a whole range of industries—from automotive, gastronomy and healthcare to trade, logistics and pharmaceuticals and also the public sector. We’ve also seen a broad spectrum of ages with participants ranging from 21 to over 60 years old.

The second Bechtle “Future in IT” programme is scheduled to start in February 2023.