HR Connector: over 120 Participants Send a Strong Signal for Securing Skilled Workers in Mainfranken
Regional Synergies for Joint Skilled Worker Retention in the Mainfranken Regiopolregion
HR teams from medium-sized and large companies discussed practically relevant topics such as recruiting, employer branding, and employee development at the HR Connector – including impulses from Sparkasse Mainfranken, EDEKA, Garmin, and LEONI. Eight interactive workshops offered participants the opportunity to reflect on and further develop their own HR strategies and to exchange ideas with colleagues from the region.
A special highlight was the lecture by Dr. Hartwin Maas from the Institute for Generational Research. Under the title “Generation Clash or Dream Team? How genuine commitment makes companies future-proof”, he shed light on central issues relating to the cross-generational working day and showed how companies can promote sustainable employee retention through genuine commitment from all age groups.
Further contributions came from Stephanie Krüger (HRtbeat GmbH) and Simon Klingenmaier (FIS), among others, who provided practical insights into modern tools for digital recruiting in an impulse knowledge format. Chatbots, messenger services, and AI-supported applications were presented as concrete instruments with which HR processes can be made more efficient. The applications presented were very well received in the workshops on digital employee recruitment and retention.
“The cooperation brings together HR expertise and marketing competence – with the aim of providing concrete options for action for local companies”, explains Bettina Gardenne, Managing Director of Region Mainfranken GmbH. The close cooperation with regional partners such as Vogel Communications Group and the HR Netzwerk Mainfranken ensures that knowledge is not only shared, but also effectively implemented.
Current figures from the employment agency show the urgency: around 20,000 skilled workers are needed in Mainfranken, and around 9,300 positions are currently vacant (as of November 2024). Regional skilled worker retention is therefore not only an urgent issue for individual companies, but a joint field of action for the entire region. The HR Connector starts here – through knowledge transfer, targeted networking and concrete measures for practice.
The day’s event was rounded off by a panel discussion with representatives from business and politics. It became clear how important exchange at eye level is in order to develop long-term solutions. Numerous discussions and agreed follow-up appointments underlined the desire of those involved to jointly take concrete steps towards a future-proof working world.
The HR Connector has thus established itself as an important platform for securing skilled workers in Mainfranken. Over 120 HR experts were able to develop practical solutions, make valuable contacts and strengthen regional synergies. A continuation is already planned for 2026 – with the aim of further developing the format and focusing even more on topics such as AI-supported HR management and strategic employer branding in the future.
The entire program is available at www.hr-connector.de. Participation was free of charge.
The HRtbeat GmbH is an agency for digital recruiting and employer branding. Founded in 2022, it is based in Berlin and has employees throughout Germany and has been part of the Vogel Communications Group since 2021. The agency supports companies in positioning themselves as attractive and credible employers and flexibly supplements HR departments with industry-competent expertise in all disciplines. As part of the Vogel Communications Group, HRtbeat combines HR know-how with marketing skills to develop solutions for today’s working world.
The Vogel Communications Group (VCG), with 790 employees and around 100 million in sales, is a leading provider of B2B communication and specialist information. The international group of companies is represented at 12 locations in German-speaking countries, as well as worldwide with license partners and a focus on China. VCG offers a group-owned agency network of 10 communication agencies and service companies. It is anchored with around 110 specialist media in the 5 business areas of automotive, industry, information technology, law/business/taxes and B2B communication/marketing. VCG offers 250+ services, 100+ digital platforms and communities and 300+ business events per year and target group access in around 25 industries for professional and successful corporate communications.
The Region Mainfranken GmbH is the supporting platform of the Mainfranken Regiopolregion. As a regional development company of the Mainfranken districts, the independent cities of Würzburg and Schweinfurt and the chambers of commerce, it bundles the regional forces in politics, science and business to position Mainfranken in national and international competition. Through targeted location marketing, Mainfranken becomes visible to potential skilled workers, investors and interested parties. The shareholders of Region Mainfranken GmbH are, in addition to the two independent cities of Würzburg and Schweinfurt, the seven Mainfranken districts of Bad Kissingen, Haßberge, Kitzingen, Main‐Spessart, Rhön‐Grabfeld, Schweinfurt and Würzburg, as well as the Würzburg‐Schweinfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Chamber of Crafts for Lower Franconia.
