“Chances @ CELUS”: Learning from each other


We believe that everyone must do their part to create a world worth living in. Especially as a startup, CELUS is keen on forming the future. We aim to do this in a sustainable way to shape an environment that is socially, ecologically and economically as good as possible. To achieve this, every single person and every single company is in charge to contribute to the public good. Out of this conviction, CELUS took action. In our project “Chances @ CELUS” we want to give refugees the possibility to find an entry into the German working world. At the same time, the CELUS team benefits from insights into new approaches, expertise and foreign cultures.

Social sustainability at CELUS

One aspect that forms our daily work is the international team in which we work. The CELUS team consists of employees from all over the world and from every continent (except Antarctica… so far). Relocations are a usual business for the CELUS HR Team. Esmira Alieva, Head of HR at CELUS, points out: “There are so many difficulties on the way. Apartment hunting can be very challenging for foreigners, not even to start with the paperwork when looking for a job. Many foreigners don’t know what a CV should look like in Germany or how the hiring process works here. I can only imagine how stressful this must be for someone without language knowledge and help.” Having this in mind, the idea was born to start helping not only our team but also other people. Especially those, who struggle to find jobs not because of missing skills, but mainly because of missing networks or language skills.

Bellevue in Munich as our partner

To put this approach into practice, the CELUS HR team was looking for a Munich organization to collaborate with. The Bellevue di Monaco is a cooperative, which is offering individual support to refugees via many projects and initiatives. One of the artists and activists working there is Paul Huf, who uses his skills as an art teacher and social pedagogue to offer projects for refugees. He says: “Every person with refugee experience faces different problems and requires individual support. What many of them need is an opportunity to refresh their professional knowledge without too much pressure.” CELUS can offer them such an environment.

Talent can be found everywhere

We want to offer a stepping stone to people, who did not voluntarily leave their home countries and arrived in Germany without any connections and mentors. At CELUS, we have rather looked for excitement and talent than degrees on paper ever since. So, we at CELUS additionally saw the opportunity to find exceptional talent and new perspectives that will enrich the team. Paul from Bellevue di Monaco explains: “I proposed three talented people, who received a very good education in their home countries. Due to bureaucracy and a lack of perfect German speaking skills, they hardly have a chance to get a demanding job.” At CELUS, we want to give them the opportunity to take the first step on the German career ladder while using the expertise they already gathered.

Our interns

Jean Lais_CSR_2

 

Jean Lais – Product Design Intern

“I am Jean Laïs Mundenga and I was born and raised in Congo. The purpose of my internship is to gain valuable work experience in the UX and UI design fields and to get a peek into the processes of the software industry.”

 

Jean Laïs also wants to improve his skills on a professional basis. He especially enjoyed working on his own project, for which he is doing research on how to improve the design of some icons. After the internship, he wants to get a solid education in UX (user experience) and the graphic design field.

Abdullah_CSR_2

 

 

Abdullah – Office Management Intern

My name is Abdullah Al-Hawta. I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, but my nationality is Yemeni. I would like to bring my previous experiences in office management to CELUS and gain new ones.“

 

 

Abdullah is already experienced in Office Management and supports his team with daily tasks. He especially enjoys entering invoices into Excel but is also in charge of many other issues that arise. His goal is to find a job in office management in Germany after the internship. He stated that the experience he gained at CELUS also benefits his volunteer social work at Bellevue Di Monaco.

 

Suliman_CSR_2

 

Suliman – Marketing Intern

“I am Sayed Suliman Sanjar and I am from Afghanistan. I want to learn a lot of new things, especially in the field of Social Media Marketing.”

 

Suliman is an actor who brings a lot of experience in video conception and production. He most enjoys the ideation process and presenting ideas to his team. His plan is to develop himself in the field of corporate communication while using the experiences he has already gained.

Sharing a common goal

As an electronics software company, one might assume that working at CELUS requires niche skills. “First, I thought that CELUS is a typical IT company, but it is not. At CELUS, everyone shares a great vision.”, Suliman points out. He has never worked in the electronics field before but was a successful actor in Afghanistan. He now shares profound knowledge with his colleagues in the marketing department. The vision helps him to understand the industry CELUS works in and which goals are pursued. “I am very thankful for the support I get from my team colleagues and I very much enjoy helping them, too”, he says.

Lifelong learning is what we aim for

Jean Laïs has a bit different goal. He wishes to change his profession and sees CELUS as the first step in this direction. He has studied “International Relations” but now he would like to make more out of this hobby in visual designing. “I would like to improve in some fields of visual designing, but I would also like to invest my skills into the company and contribute to the company's success.” Luckily, changing careers is nothing uncommon anymore and CELUS always tries to support every employee in that. We highly value the principle of lifelong learning and everyone is encouraged to improve their skills and expertise. We are of the opinion that one can never gather “enough” knowledge as a fast-changing environment requires constant reflection on how something is done. Having team members with non-specialist backgrounds is therefore not seen as a flaw at CELUS but rather as potential. Hence, the teams can learn from the interns and the other way around on a daily basis.

Teamwork as a basis

"What I learned right away at CELUS is how important it is to work closely together as a team”, says Abdullah. He is supporting the Office Management team with daily tasks. He already has a lot of experience in this field, but also enjoys learning how German companies work. For him, the internship at CELUS is an important step to following up on this career choice. Giving everyone the opportunity to contribute in thrive in their field of expertise is part of CELUS’ company culture and of its values. “It does not matter where someone is from or what they did before. It all comes down to talents and skills”, Esmira Alieva, Head of HR at CELUS, points out. For us, Soft Skills are as important as profession-related ones.

Breaking the problem down to the individual level

The main aspect of “Chances @ CELUS” is to keep in mind that both the team and the individual should benefit in the long term. Changing the present takes time and initiatives like these to work on a future that is worth living for everyone. Organizations like the Bellevue Di Monaco as well as companies like CELUS play an important role in that. Supporting refugees definitely has a global perspective, but one has to approach it individually. “Everyone’s problems are unique and have to be addressed like that”, Paul from Bellevue points out, but he emphasizes that there are mutual benefits: “We do not see the work as a one-way street, but we see it as a dialogue between people with and without refugee experience” and CELUS could not agree more.


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