The entrepreneurs I. Akrout and S. Rais have successfully launched their business idea Skills Integration and their start-up offers access to business-oriented courses and expert support for international professionals who want to achieve their career goals in Germany. The two engineers from Tunisia found each other in Germany and developed their business idea together. They were supported by the Kompass team of experts as part of the “Business Ideas for Development” program.
Practical expertise and access to experts
Skills Integration brings international professionals together with career opportunities in German industry. Interested parties receive access to customized courses and expert support to advance their careers. The two entrepreneurs offer practical expertise from industry experts, interactive learning experiences and flexible, hands-on courses via https://skillsintegration.com. Companies benefit from immediately employable talents who not only excel professionally, but are also familiar with the German work culture and have mastered professional communication. Skills Integration aims to close the gap between international specialists and German industry. “We want to build an international community of experts that brings industry and people together,” explains I. Akrout.
Entrepreneurial mindset in harmony
The two entrepreneurs grew up in Tunisia and came to Germany to study on a scholarship. They did not know each other back then. They both attended a preparatory college to prepare for their academic studies here. They got to know each other during an online course. They then stayed in touch digitally via Instagram and quickly realized that they had a lot in common. They both studied electrical engineering, had a similar mindset and wanted to pass on their expertise.
Pitch win at “Business ideas for development”
The two entrepreneurs started with digital live events on Instagram and offered compact business German courses. That was at the beginning of 2023. “Then it clicked and we had our first business idea,” recalls S. Rais. The two presented this business idea as a pitch to the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and were selected as part of the “Business Ideas for Development” program. The “Business Ideas for Development” programme of German development cooperation advises people with a history of migration living in Germany who want to implement innovative business ideas in their countries of origin. With seminars, networks and offers, the programme supports entrepreneurially committed people to realize innovative business ideas.
Concrete vision in implementation
“The support provided by the program and Kompass gave us a push,” says I. Akrout, looking back, ”that’s when everything really started.” Kompass helped the two of them to flesh out their business idea. “We first had to come together and define who had what role,” adds S. Rais. The entrepreneurs also received valuable advice from the Kompass experts on what funding was available and also gained access to a broad network. “Our path became clearer and clearer, even if the steps to get there were a challenge.”
Exchange of experience as added value for companies and specialists
Doing something of their own and passing on their experience was their vision right from the start. The two engineers want to build a bridge between the different cultures in the industrial sector and create a successful atmosphere for the community of international engineers and experts. “We strive to constantly adapt our services to market needs and provide a great professional environment for our engineers and the global professional community,” says S. Rais. “We believe that the exchange of experience and the integration of the required skills create the greatest possible added value for qualified experts on the one hand and the German and global industry on the other.”
Details about the makers
I. Akrout is an electrical engineer with a Master’s degree from Leibniz Universität Hannover. She has studied NLP and psychology, in addition to her experience in technical sales, product management and marketing at global international companies. “I am passionate about motivating and inspiring people to achieve their goals and firmly believe that nothing is impossible.”
S. Rais has experience in sales, management and engineering. “I owe my technical and intercultural background to my engineering studies in Germany and my double degree at Telecom Paris.” She has professional experience as a software developer, as a PMP-certified project manager, in robotics and as a sales engineer in the international field.
