“There was a very good transfer of knowledge in both directions.“
Klaus Gengenbach lives in Berlin and has already been on 16 SES assignments. As he’s something of an expert on tourism and the hotel business. That’s why he accompanied Anna, a young professional, on her Team works! internship at an ecotourism hotel in Uganda.
Das Interview
Hello Mr Gengenbach, where exactly did you travel to with Anna? Where did she do her Team works! internship?
Anna’s internship was at the CVK Lakeside Resort, a well-known ecotourism hotel close to Kibale National Park in the west of Uganda.
You accompanied Anna as part of a “tandem team”, as is usual on the Team works! programme. What attracted you to the idea of supporting a young professional?
I just really loved the idea of working together in a team. Because it’s what you might call an “intergenerational” tandem team, we both gained a lot.as we were both able to discover new perspectives on certain things and have discussions about them. So there was a very good transfer of knowledge in both directions.
So what were you able to learn from Anna? How did you benefit? And was there anything specific that you were able to share with her?
It was very enlightening to be confronted, through working with Anna, with the views of a member of the younger generation about tourism businesses and their problem-solving strategies. I also learned a great deal about using social media. In return, I shared my many years of experience in tourism and the hotel trade. Part of that is definitely how to manage conflicts - among staff, for example. In addition, I contributed quite a bit by explaining specialist terminology, performance indicators and economic factors.
How do young professionals benefit from an internship in an organisation abroad in your opinion? Does the organisation itself benefit too?
I think it was a good opportunity for Anna to experience the reality of working in a hotel and to see how she could use her theoretical knowledge in specific situations. Discovering a new culture definitely nurtures young people’s understanding of different viewpoints as well as tolerance and social skills. They’re all things businesses like to see in their employees. And what about the businesses? They get a sort of “external assessment”. After all, apart from being a young professional, Anna is a member of the young generation, which makes her an important part of the hotel’s current and future target group. That’s an aspect that’s true of many other organisations, of course. New, fresh perspectives are never a bad thing. And they broaden the horizons of the people who work for the business as well.
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