Amir Ebrahim, a young refugee from Iran, has begun his career at Oil Seals Industry in Weinheim. He started out by successfully completing vocational training and is now following up with remote college course work.
Amir Ebrahim knows how to tell a thrilling story. It takes his breath away from time to time as he looks back over the past few years and describes his experiences. The story has the same effect on his listeners. Anyone hearing him can imagine what he and his wife went through.
Ebrahim is Kurdish. He lived in the city of Mahabad in Iran and loves his homeland to this day. He was politically involved at his university and managed to offend the authorities there, which led to trouble. On one occasion, his nose was broken and some of his teeth were knocked out. The upshot: He was unable to complete his studies in civil engineering and was even threatened with arrest.
In 2017, he set out for Europe with his wife. The route to Germany took them through Rome where they applied for asylum. It was the start of an odyssey through several German federal states, from one crowded asylum shelter to another and to long waiting lines in large halls. The odyssey also led to emergency shelters where people of different backgrounds and cultures shared tight spaces and few sanitary facilities. The psychological pressure was intense. The couple finally arrived at a shelter with their own bathroom in Dossenheim, near Weinheim.
The couple’s courage never failed them. They were extremely motivated to establish themselves in careers and find their own quarters. Access to Freudenberg opened up for Amir Ebrahim at the Rhein-Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Several years earlier, the company had launched an initiative to train refugees. The young Kurd proved himself in four blocks of an internship program, each two weeks long, and received one of the sought-after training positions to become a machine and installation operator.
“I LOVE MY JOB”
“I began my training at Freudenberg in September 2020,” he recalled. After his basic education at the Freudenberg Education Center, he completed his practical training at Oil Seals Industry in Weinheim. His midterm grade: very good. Final grade: best in class, with an outstanding score of 98 percent on the practical side. That quickly answered a key question that comes up after hirings: The temporary contract would soon convert to permanent employment in the Injection Molding (IM) Business Unit.
“I love my job. I can make a difference here. With each new order, I run into a new challenge on the machines. And the people, from my bosses to my coworkers, are fantastic. This is my company. I feel at home, and I am very thankful to be here,” he said in nearly perfect German. A bit of background: He hardly spoke or understood a word of German when he arrived in 2017. Ebrahim has a special connection with his mentor Bernhard Bräunig. “He has so much insight. He has explained and taught me so much. I consider him my German father.”
A young man of ambition, Ebrahim has already set new goals. He began his remote-learning studies in industrial engineering on May 1. He knows it won’t be easy. “But if you want something badly enough, you can do it. Your desire drives you forward,” he said, describing his philosophy of life. His wife has also completed professional training elsewhere, and they now have their own apartment.
At that point in the conversation, Operations Manager Sarang Etemad entered the breakroom to grab a coffee. He is, so to speak, the boss of Ebrahim’s boss and was quick to praise his new colleague. “Mr. Ebrahim is doing great work for us,” he said. The compliment is quickly returned. “Mr. Etemadi is one of my models. He did it!” Ebrahim is striving for the same success and makes it clear he wants to achieve it at Freudenberg. And there was something else they have in common: They are both from Iran.
Four Successful Graduates
Amir Ebrahim is one of four refugees who completed training to become machine and installation operators in 2022 in the Primary Products and Injection Molding (IM) Business Units (BU) in Oil Seals Industry in Weinheim. “We are glad they are here. They have found their footing on the equipment in a short time,” said Egbert Gölz, Manager BU IM, and Thomas Schwöbel, Manager, Primary Products BU. The other graduates are Ahmad Sorki, Jegr Othman and Wael Aljawash.
