For many Ukrainians, trains were and are a way out of the war. At the end of February last year, shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine, Deutsche Bahn (DB) was also called upon. Special trains were scheduled, free tickets were distributed and first contact points for Ukrainian refugees were set up in German train stations.
Deutsche Bahn also decided early on to offer the newcomers job advice. On Monday, DB presented its first completely Ukrainian training class at Munich Central Station. The company urgently needs new specialists. In addition, one likes to be a “provider of opportunities,” says Kerstin Wagner, Head of DB Personnel Recruitment in Munich.
Nine women are to be trained for on-board service in the ICEs. They have already completed a six-month language course with a focus on DB jargon, and now it is time for practical training on the trains.
One of these women is 36-year-old Yulya Anpilohova. Before the war began, she worked at a large bank in Kharkiv. After she and her mother and daughter were initially accommodated by a German family, she found out about DB’s offer. She hopes that Deutsche Bahn is a big company where she can make a career.
There are many trainees with a migration background at Deutsche Bahn, says Gunnar Kienzle, a DB trainer. Because of the language barriers, the training time on the trains has been doubled from three to six weeks. Otherwise you have to adapt didactically, said Kienzle. “Many have their families in Ukraine, so there is a lot to talk about.” That is why there are talks before and after the training day to process what has been experienced.
Yulya Anpilohova no longer has anyone in Ukraine, she reports, all her relatives are spread out either in Germany or in France and Poland. She wants to build a long-term life in Germany. “It will take a while for everything to be rebuilt in Ukraine,” she says. She also wants to enable her ten-year-old daughter to study.
This Tuesday she has her first day of practical training on the ICE. She doesn’t know where the train is going. “It’s going to be a big surprise,” she says, laughing. Your time in Germany generally held many surprises.