Education and personnel development
As an integral part of HHLA’s HR strategy, the personnel development strategy plays a significant role in the action fields “Develop Further” and “Work Together”. This centres on four key areas:
- Making employees fit for the future
- Identifying and further developing talent
- Promoting networking and cooperation
- Making a contribution to the organisation and corporate culture of the future
The growing degree of automation in maritime logistics, the ability to manage dynamic transport volumes and the increasing significance of information flows accompanying goods through innovation in interface organisation and process handling are all changing the skillset requirements of employees at all levels. A key objective of HHLA’s personnel development is therefore to ensure that employees have the skills they need in the short, medium and long term.
This is provided through needs-based qualification and personnel development programmes and training, as well as by creating a learning environment that promotes interdisciplinary networking, self-directed learning and a culture of lifelong learning. In 2024, HHLA invested a total of € 5.4 million in educating and training staff at its locations in Hamburg (previous year: € 5.0 million).
In 2024, HHLA’s personnel development also implemented or accompanied several strategic initiatives and continued to pursue established talent and management development programmes. One of the main focus areas was on increasing the effectiveness of leadership in change processes. The talent management approach was strategically enhanced, thus structurally embedding both the identification of key positions and talents as well as the systematic promotion of talent in our strategy with the introduction of regular strategic personnel development dialogue from 2025 onwards.
The IHATEC collaborative project “PortSkill 4.0 – Training hub of German port operators – establishment of a digital testing and training centre for the companies and employees of the German port sector” achieved a significant milestone with the “soft opening” of the cutting-edge digital testing and training centre at Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA). This project researches and develops cutting-edge learning technologies and tailored training solutions for the requirements of digitalised work at the port, which may be used at the “ma-co maritimes competenzcentrum” following the conclusion of the project in late 2025.
In the field of qualification management, the learning platform “Lernen@HHLA” was established and, one year after the roll-out, 2,260 employees have already actively signed up. In addition to analogue content, the new learning platform also integrates multilingual and digital information. The consistent design of registration and approval processes ensures the flexible, needs-based management of learning requirements. The roll-out of “Lernen@HHLA” for HHLA’s international and non-SAP subsidiaries has started and should be completed in 2025 so that they will also be able to draw on centralised, digital training information and take part in mandatory training, such as compliance and data privacy. The Group-wide roll-out will also simplify the future Group-wide reporting on training measures thanks to centralised data processing.
Training and studying at HHLA
As of 31 December 2024, 60 apprentices and 28 students were receiving training in Germany in eleven different professions and ten dual study courses. 30.7 % of the 88 apprentices and students were female. Among the students, the proportion of women was 53.6 % in 2024 (previous year: 42.3 %). The range of vocations and study courses focusses in particular on technical vocations and the interfaces between IT and technology, or IT and business administration. The first trainee to complete the new apprenticeship as a “business person for digitalisation management” was successfully offered a permanent position in 2024 following their graduation.
Of the 18 apprentices who successfully completed their training in the course of the year, 16 were given permanent contracts. A total of 31 new apprenticeship contracts were signed in Germany in the 2024 training year, of which 29.0 % were female apprentices. In the commercial sector, the share of female apprentices for the start of training in 2024 was 28.6 % and in dual study programmes 77.8 %.
In addition to the acquisition of professional qualifications, HHLA attaches great importance to the acquisition of interdisciplinary skills, e.g. social skills. The company enables its trainees and students on dual study programmes to contribute to various projects, such as in cooperation with ESA (Evangelische Stiftung Alsterdorf) and AIESEC e.V.
Learning and further education at HHLA
The increasing intensity of change and continuing need for complexity management place demands on managers and employees alike. Specialist and leadership skills must be continuously expanded and adapted as a result, in order to meet new requirements and successfully shape transformation projects within HHLA. In general, HHLA’s heterogeneous employee groups require training measures that are tailored to the specific needs of the target groups concerned.
With regard to the commercial training programmes, more than 580 events lasting one or more days were held in the reporting period. These included more than 422 in-house vocational courses conducted by HHLA’s own trainers over 2,406 training days. Specific training measures were also prepared as part of the CTX transformation programme, including the plans for cross-terminal coordination. At the same time, we also began homogenising the training concepts at the three terminals. A cross-terminal working group offered instructors the opportunity to network and exchange best practices. The development and implementation of needs-based training concepts for various other groups of employees were also the focus in the Container segment. The structured onboarding processes in particular ensure that all employees are properly supported during the process and are given the skills they need for new and/or changing tasks.
In addition, 158 events lasting one or more days with 2,352 participant days were organised as part of the company’s cross-segment seminar programme. Of the participants, 28.2 % were women.
The range of in-house seminars focuses on skillset clusters that are crucial for successfully handling current and future challenges as well as on basic skills with wide application possibilities. In addition to tried and trusted training programmes such as language courses, IT training and sector-specific knowledge, the portfolio of offers primarily comprises the issues of “Change, projects & strategy development”, “Learning and problem-solving expertise”, “Communication and cooperation”, “Digital expertise” and “Leadership”.
The range of in-house offerings is supplemented by external training opportunities in cooperation with training providers and universities, which also specifically support networking with managers and skilled workers at other companies. As such, personnel development not only uses training and networking formats but also easy-access “learning nuggets”, such as the “Lernen2Go” format, a lecture format on various topics with internal or external speakers that generally follows on from a suitable seminar. In the “Digital Workplace” project, for example, the migration of files on the local drives to Microsoft Sharepoint was accompanied by consulting and training services for the first divisions to make the switch in 2024. The technical process of data migration was drawn on as an opportunity to build skills in Office applications in the M365 environment for all employees working at a PC. Another close tie-in with training measures is planned for the roll-out in other divisions next year.
In the field of management training, the programmes for new managers and the modules for experienced managers were continued following an evaluation at the start of 2024 and supplemented with additional modules covering the topics of “Strategy and decision-making” and “Leadership communication”. Furthermore, various digital learning services covering the latest management approaches during the reporting year as part of the “Führung2Go” format were also available. In the one-day BarCamp format “8 Hours of Leadership”, which had the motto “Leadership and decision-making in uncertain times”, 79 managers and young talents were able to meet others from throughout the hierarchy and from different divisions to discuss the challenges of leadership and various approaches for handling them. Furthermore, the managers in the Container segment were supported with individual development measures and formats providing consultation with their peers as part of the CTX transformation process.