Three trainees began their training on 1 August within the Saarpfalz District administration: as an IT specialist for systems integration, a tourism and leisure management assistant, and an administrative assistant. Together with the five new trainee civil servants, who will start on 1 October, they were welcomed at a ‘Welcome Day’ by District Administrator Frank John, Chief Administrative Director Andreas Motsch, the Human Resources and Internal Services department, and their trainers.
The day began with a group breakfast, which provided an opportunity to get to know one another better and to talk to previous cohorts about their experiences. To encourage the young professionals to strike up conversations with one another, staff from the Human Resources Development department had devised some icebreaker games.
District Administrator Frank John then addressed a few words of welcome to the ‘newcomers’ to the office: “I am delighted that you have chosen to join us. Choosing an employer is an important life decision. It is important to us that you feel at home here and enjoy coming to work. After all, you will be spending a large part of your time here with us.” He also emphasised the many opportunities and career paths available in public administration: “You can develop both professionally and personally with us. We’ll support you in this. Your trainers and future colleagues will be on hand to help with any questions or problems. And you can always come and speak to me too.”
Following the presentation on the structure and organisation of the district administration, the trainees and candidates were given a tour of the district administration building. In the afternoon, they set off on a digitally guided treasure hunt to various branch offices in Homburg. The treasure hunt took them, amongst other places, to the Women’s Office and the Staff Council, the Sustainable Development and Mobility Unit, the Jobcentre and the Youth Welfare Office, as well as the Social Affairs Department.