Introduction

In the spring, a team from Quantensprung traveled to Vietnam to learn about the skilled labor situation from the Vietnamese perspective and identify productive starting points. Our encounter with Francis van Hoi made a lasting impression on us and inspired us to pursue further projects.

Francis himself came to Germany as a young man, fleeing the war. Here, he was given opportunities that would have been unthinkable at home. Based on his training as a chef, he built up a livelihood over the years with three restaurants of his own. Grateful for the support he received in Germany, Francis returned to Vietnam after retiring and now trains catering professionals there according to the German dual system. Like him once, his students come from the poorest backgrounds. Without his school, they would have no prospect of continuing their education in Vietnam. In Vietnam, school education is only free up to 10th grade. Poorer families can therefore usually only afford to send one of their up to ten children to further vocational training.

The selection process is rigorous, and only a few make it into his program. The young people have to prove that they are suitable both intellectually and in terms of their personality. Those who make it into the training program know that it is a unique opportunity. They move into the boarding school and work under Francis' guidance in the training company.

We visited many German schools in Vietnam and noticed big differences. As a rule, the Vietnamese students were very respectful and shy towards us. So we were all the more surprised when we visited Francis' school and were proactively bombarded with questions. We were even able to converse in German with the students who had already been prepared for Germany. They still have a whole year to learn before they graduate. The young German volunteers who are doing a voluntary social year there are certainly contributing to this.

Why am I telling you this? Francis will be visiting Leipzig on August 8, and I would like to invite you to meet him at the House of Central German Business and find out about funding opportunities for Saxon companies. If you are in the restaurant, hotel, or tourism industry and want to give young people with few prospects at home a chance in your business, please contact us for further information. But even if you are just interested in how he built his NGO and what his experiences have been, you are very welcome to join us.

As you know, Quantensprung is not an agency. We establish contact with Francis and between the relevant partners because we were impressed by the concept on site and believe that charitable and reputable projects deserve our support.

Quantensprung's expertise lies in the areas of strategic personnel planning, intercultural leadership, conflict resolution, and intercultural team building. We can support you in these areas and help you and your team prepare for, integrate, and work successfully with intercultural teams. 

We provide our contact services free of charge.