German/Swiss Trade Trainees Come Here to Learn
Date Posted: May 30, 2017
Posted In: Organizations, Workforce,
by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum STL
What would St. Louis region contractors, already harried by labor shortages, think if some of their crafts workers said that they wanted to take some time to work abroad and improve their knowledge of their craft? In Germany and Switzerland, where contractors are also operating at capacity and beyond, business owners are giving their workers their blessing for trips to the U.S., with a promise that their slot will be there when they come back. They’re counting on getting a smarter, better-rounded employee back.
Last week in a darkened conference room at the STL/KC Carpenters Regional Council offices on Hampton a video conference meeting outlined a program that has already beginning to take hold in California, Minnesota, and Hawaii, as well as in Australia.
Dr. John Gaal, director of training and workforce development for the Carpenters had invited some interested parties to attend a video conference meeting with Samuel Wurster, founder of journeyman.io , a company founded by Samuel Wurster. Gaal was introduced to Wurster by a colleague he knows through national apprenticeship education circles. Much of Gaal’s work, including and beyond his doctoral dissertation has focused on the German and Swiss apprenticeship models, where all young people who are not on the path to a university degree complete a 3-4 year apprenticeship.
Wurster, bottom, and John Gaal on video conference.
“What journeyman.io does is match high quality craftsmanship from Europe with projects around the world,” Wurster said. “The craftsmen on the other hand get the opportunity to travel abroad, learn a new language, and exchange culture and building knowledge.”
The craftspeople that Wurster recruits are typically in their mid-20s, with 21 being the lowest age eligible for the program. They have already completed an a government-approved apprentice program.
Wurster formed his company in November of last year. To date, 10 craftspeople have been placed by Journeyman.io. Wurster said that the craftspeople include carpenters, plumbers, and electricians and that they have been placed with both union and non-union employers.
Employers select the trade, project, and duration (typically six months to a year) for which they’d like to engage a trainee. Journeyman.io background-checks and vets the candidates credentials (including a valid international driver’s license) and arranges for their transportation and housing in the U.S., unless the employer has housing for them.
Journeyman.io suggests to employers that they might want to pay one or two dollars below the going wage to accommodate for, language differences, cultural acclimatization, and technical differences like centimeters/inches. Wurster’s firm receives an add-on fee equivalent to 20 percent of the trainee’s wages. Employers have up to three weeks to determine if a craftsperson supplied by the firm is not a good fit and say that they want a different trainees or end the engagement
Trainees travel to the United States on a J1 visa, which is a nonimmigrant visa issued by the United States to research scholars, professors and exchange visitors participating in programs that promote cultural exchange, especially to obtain medical or business training within the U.S.
Left to right, Andre Dimmer, carpenter , Samuel Wurster, journeyman.io founder, and Simon Keller, plumber.
In an interview for the Journeyman.io website, Simon Keller, a journeyman plumber who is working in Minnetonka, MN, explained his reason for signing on. “ I always wanted to go abroad as many of my friends had fantastic experiences studying abroad in college. Since traveling alone is very expensive, working abroad was a better alternative for me.” Keller noted that besides the difficulty of finding good bread and the universal currency of the chocolate he brought with him, the adjustment was challenging but interesting.
“Life in general is very different in the US. There is nothing that really surprises you on the get-go; you notice the differences more gradually. It starts with the food and the behavior in a restaurant, then goes on to traffic rules or how cars work. I’ve tried to adapt to the new country right from the start, so I can’t really recall a specific situation where I did or said something that’s “typically German”. However, I have noticed that I’m more punctual than my American colleagues.
As for advice for other young craftspeople coming to the U.S., Keller said, “I would advise them not to expect too much, particularly within the first couple of weeks. The work environment and work itself are different here. They’ll also struggle with the language barrier and new working methods and techniques. It kind of feels like a small apprenticeship and you should definitely be open to learning new things. But you get the hang of daily routines and tasks quite quickly, so the feeling will definitely pass after the first few weeks.'”
Wurster’s mother is a teacher and his father is a technical education instructor. Wurster himself has a degree in governance and international affairs and has studied business innovation at the graduate level. While an undergrad he did an exchange semester international relations in Argentina — so he appreciates the benefits of immersion in another culture.
At least one St. Louis industry member can personally appreciate the experience that Wurster is trying to create. Cameron Wies, estimator at his family’s company TJ Wies Contracting, Inc., said that his experience working for a contractor in Germany and London had given him a unique experience on the best way to do apprenticeship that he would like to see adopted here.
To contact journeyman.io, email Samuel Wurster at info@journeyman.io , or telephone 001.612.295.03.12.