Cultural diversity

Deutsche Werkstätten is a company with some 400 employees from more than 12 nations. Most are German and many are locals who come from Dresden or the State of Saxony. Our international staff members tend to come to Dresden either for personal reasons or because they are attracted by the reputation of the company, in particular the renowned professional training scheme (Apprenticeship scheme). Michael Dupke recalls the in-house recruitment program for Spanish engineers in 2013. “There was an economic crisis in Spain at the time and we had the good fortune to recruit eight well-trained engineers and integrate them into our operation. Three of the eight decided to stay in Dresden and are still employed by Deutsche Werkstätten, whereas two of their colleagues continue to work for the company but on a free-lance basis from Spain.” Our subsidiaries in China and Moscow seek to recruit staff locally.

The recent recruitment of a Syrian national on the apprenticeship scheme has also proved particularly successful. Michael Dupke stresses how important it is for Deutsche Werkstätten to keep an open mind. After all, a company that operates internationally is well advised to reflect that aspect in the recruitment of a diverse workforce. He was surprised when a recent candidate from Turkey asked him ‘How does Deutsche Werkstätten treat people with a non-German background?’ Michael Dupke‘s reply was straight: ‘We don’t look at the nationality of a candidate, we look at the person, the skill set and their attitude’.

Finally, it is no coincidence that Deutsche Werkstätten is supporting the application for UNESCO Cultural Heritage status for Dresden-Hellerau. The garden city of Hellerau, the festival theatre and Deutsche Werkstätten, constituted a driving force in the Modernist movement at the beginning of the 20th century. And today? Far from being a provincial town Dresden remains a cosmopolitan city with Deutsche Werkstätten as an internationally recognised beacon.

Editorial note: This article was published in 2020.

"We don’t look at the nationality of a candidate, we look at the person, the skill set and their attitude."

Michael Dupke