Rather than complaining because not enough young people are ready for an apprenticeship, Phoenix Contact from Blomberg in Lippe is working on the “Aubikom” project. In the support programme, small and medium-sized electrical engineering companies and local remedial schools take on 15 tenth-graders each year who didn’t pass the employment test. The trainers and teachers not only refresh the students’ knowledge of German, maths, and physics, but also teach them social skills. The region is benefitting because more young people are now ready for professional life in the region around Blomberg.