It all started with an internship and now Stephan Kollosky has been working at REMONDIS Brandenburg GmbH in Großräschen, Germany, since 1 April 2023. The fact that the 38-year-old has been offered a permanent position here is a big step. After all, it marks the transition from the integration workshop in Senftenberg to the private sector. Stephan Kollosky dared to take this step, received the trust and after just a short time it became clear: it’s a good fit!
Wide range of tasks
Employed as a sorter and helper, Stephan Kollosky has quickly established himself in his new job. “He is now one of many other employees working in this area,” reported Thomas Herter, Branch Manager at REMONDIS’ subsidiary, TSR Recycling GmbH & Co. KG, which processes and professionally recycles scrap at its site in Großräschen. And Thomas Herter also praised his previous experience: “He came from the workshop very well trained and brings a lot of discipline and tidiness with him.”
Stephan Kollosky can do a lot with the new tasks, as scrap recycling was already part of his work in the integration workshop. There, he dismantled electronic scrap such as computers and monitors. He now not only sorts scrap for TSR in Großräschen, but also dismantles it, such as electricity meters and water meters. He also works on the cable peeling machine and is a co-driver on the collection vehicles. In the future, he will also operate an electric pallet truck, which has already been ordered. A varied field of activity in which he clearly feels comfortable: “Of course, the pressure is different here than in the integration workshop. But I can deal with that because we are a good collective here.”
Stephan Kollosky in action at the Großräschen site
Access to the first labour market through internships
The idea of providing access to the first labour market was born out of an exchange of ideas: Branch Manager Thomas Herter had learnt from Silvio Felsch, a group leader at Integrationswerkstätten g GmbH Niederlausitz, that he had some capable employees who would like to do an internship. No sooner said than done. Stephan Kollosky came to Großräschen as the first intern for around four months in the summer and autumn of 2022 and both sides were pleasantly surprised at how well it worked.
Since then, employees from the workshops have regularly spent three weeks at the site for work trials. With Stephan Kollosky, they now have a reference person on site. As he lives with a degree of disability of 50 per cent and is therefore considered severely disabled, there is always another colleague working near him. Thomas Herter emphasises that this is not for monitoring purposes, but as a point of contact. And a good team, as Stephan Kollosky also emphasises.
Good work in the workshops, motivation and self-will
The work of the vocational training programme, the group management in the work area and, of course, Stephan Kollosky’s motivation and determination were the decisive factors in him securing a permanent job. Tino Jörke, Managing Director of Integrationswerkstätten g GmbH Niederlausitz, also admires all of this and adds that other employees have already been placed on the first labour market. So that even more can follow in the future, the doors are not only open at REMONDIS and TSR in Großräschen but also at other employers in the region.
Talking of motivation and self-will, Stephan Kollosky cycles to work every day: “I leave my flat in Senftenberg at 4.30am and start work in Großräschen at 6.30am.” A great achievement that shows once again: It’s worth sticking with it! For Stephan Kollosky and for many others who will also try to take the step into permanent employment in the future!
Image credits: © REMONDIS
