DW vocational training awarded the Berlin Inclusion Prize

The Senator for Integration, Labor and Social Affairs, Katja Kipping, and the President of the State Office for Health and Social Affairs, Michael Thiel, presented the award.

DW is currently training 24 younger employees in Berlin, including two apprentices with disabilities. Three other companies were honored in the "Inclusive Employment" category.  

"May Deutsche Welle's message that well-trained, skilled workers secure innovation, growth and employment  – and are thus your company's greatest asset – resound across borders and find many imitators around the world," said Senator Katja Kipping at the award ceremony.

Barbara Massing, DW Managing Director Business Administration: "The importance of our mission to make free information accessible worldwide has never been more relevant. We are constantly changing perspectives – that can only succeed in an inclusive work environment. We want to break down barriers; structural and digital barriers, but also barriers in our minds."

Eight DW employees were invited to attend the event at the Max Liebermann House in Berlin. The program was rounded off by speeches by Jürgen Dusel, Federal Government Commissioner for the Interests of People with Disabilities, and Jocelyn B. Smith. The American jazz and opera singer provided musical accompaniment for the event.

As part of its diversity strategy, DW is focusing on promoting people with disabilities even more than before in 2022 and 2023. To this end, a number of employees in Berlin and Bonn are working to make DW more inclusive. As a point of contact for employees with disabilities, these include in particular the Representatives for People with Disabilities. In the DW Inclusion Agreement of 2021, DW has also set a target of achieving a quota of eight percent of employees being people with disabilities.

On Friday, DW was honored with the Berlin Inclusion Prize for its "Inclusive Vocational Training."

Two model projects for inclusion at DW

Innoklusio combines innovation and inclusion and aims to increase awareness of inclusion in the company. In the early summer of 2023, the exhibition "Dialog in the Dark" will come to DW. All employees are invited to explore the walk-through interactive spaces. The project also includes seminars for managers, regular information events and training for two inclusion managers. The training is a cooperation with the Fernhochschule Hamburg and Sozialheld*innen. The project, initiated by Dialogue Social Enterprise GmbH, promotes for the social participation of people with disabilities while also creating visibility. The aim is to bring about a change of perspective for more inclusion in practice throughout DW.  

Inklupreneur, a combination of the terms "inclusion" and "entrepreneurship", takes a look at the general conditions at DW and helps make the company even more attractive for people with disabilities and to motivate them to apply to become employees or trainees. In the project, initiated by the social enterprise Hilfswerft, external experts examine what DW offers in terms of inclusion and accessibility and where it can improve.