Securing skilled personnel in the high-tech sector – internationally recognized

Jens Hofmann, Chairman of the Board of proANH e.V., has been awarded the "IEEE Technical Skills Educator Award". The IEEE Photonics Society presented the prize yesterday evening at its annual conference in Orlando, Florida (USA). According to the jury, their decision was based on "bringing companies and institutes together in innovative programs that enable career changes into photonics." The prestigious Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technologies for the benefit of humanity.

Jens Hofmann has been committed to technical education in photonics for many years. In 2019, he has joined an initiative to further develop the ANH Berlin education and training network. "The award is a joint effort and a great recognition for our many activities related to education and training, which we have established in the association with the 4-member ANH Berlin team led by Uta Voigt," Jens Hofmann is convinced. The network targeting skilled personnel accompanies and advises companies and research institutions individually on education, training, and advanced qualification in the high-tech sector. This commitment resulted in forming the association proANH e.V., which consolidates these activities and was co-founded by Jens Hofmann. At Toptica eagleyard, a spin-off from the Berlin-based Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Jens Hofmann is in charge of process development and manufacturing technology. "Thanks to his dedicated efforts, proANH has now become a major and important player in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, developing and offering high-quality technical education programs," acknowledged Prof. Günther Tränkle, Scientific Managing Director of the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, the achievements of Jens Hofmann and the proANH team in his letter of recommendation.

Recruiting young talents & new ways of securing skilled staff

One focus of the application was on the initiative launched by proANH e.V. for an 'electronics production specialist'. In the pilot project, lateral entrants are trained for specific tasks in the cleanroom or in measurement laboratories. After the five-month qualification phase, the participants are offered career prospects in a future-oriented occupational field. At the same time, the initiative is intended to close an important gap in securing skilled personnel in companies and institutes. Members of the association designed the curriculum and offer a four-week internship. The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut also participated in the pilot project in cooperation with the Employment Agency Berlin South and took on a lateral entrant after his internship.

The education and training network as well as the association's office are located at the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH) and supported by employees of the research institute. With the network and as a member of the association, FBH is committed to securing skilled labor in the region and equally promoting young industrial and technical talent in the high-tech sector in addition to academia.