Latest news with #German-born
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Ukrainian school helps the displaced build new lives through hospitality
In a luxurious resort complex north of Kyiv, 12 women are retraining to enter the hospitality sector in a new school that will kickstart a fresh life for Ukraine's internally displaced people (IDPs). The women, mostly from Ukraine's occupied territories, are learning to be housekeepers in the first program organized by German-born non-profit school Grains. Unlike other hospitality schools in Ukraine, Grains also focuses on the personal development of students, and they are guaranteed a job with the Shelest hotel after they complete nine days of training. Grains is the brainchild of Berlin-based venture developer Maddina Katter and Elena Muradyan, CEO of Shelest, a luxury hotel that opened in 2020. They hope to address two challenges: integrating some of the approximately 5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and addressing a workforce deficit in the hospitality sector, which has boomed since the full-scale invasion due to rising domestic tourism. Integrating IDPs is a top priority for Ukraine's Social Protection Ministry, and the ministry found 30% of Grains' applicants. The ministry said it would help Grains secure more funding if at least two IDP students entered employment afterwards. "The government needs us," Katter told the Kyiv Independent. "Until today, there is no project in Ukraine that directly connects education and employment, and also works with the personal (development) of students. "Students will never pay for the school, made possible thanks to partners who will provide the 180,000 euros ($205,000) needed annually. The main donor is German defense company ARX Robotics, which initially invested 25,000 euros ($28,000) into the non-profit company. "It's a blueprint that we want to develop in the future." Shelest, owned by one of Ukraine's top investment bankers, Ihor Mazepa, covers operational costs, including bussing students to school from Kyiv, food and drinks, plus bookkeeping and HR. The school, a trendy Scandinavian-style building constructed with wood and glass, is nestled into the Shelest resort and connects to the restaurant where students train. It's a win-win, Katter said. Shelest gets qualified staff, IDPs get jobs, and the state receives taxes and spends less on support programs. In the future, Grains will include other programs like bar and restaurant work, and partner with other high-end hotels offering good salaries and benefits. The courses are open to all Ukrainians, but Katter wanted the first one to be geared toward women. Read also: In wartime Ukraine, a university grows — and reclaims a space once reserved for the corrupt The idea for Grains came to Katter over two years ago in Berlin when she met Muradyan, who had fled Ukraine with her daughter. Katter had already set up the company Bulletproof Ukraine, making affordable bulletproof vests for civilians, and wanted to create an educational project. When she heard Muradyan's struggles to find employees in the hotel industry, she realized hospitality would be the right path. Salaries have increased in the sector, and housekeepers can earn Hr 1,400 ($35) daily in a hotel like Shelest, above the average salary in the country. Katter saw the opportunity for Grains to help reduce unemployment among IDPs in Ukraine, which is higher than among other citizens, and plug the workforce deficit. "We want to show to the students that they can be creators of the reality they want to live in." Alongside theoretical and practical classes, taught by senior staff at Shelest, Katter starts every eight-hour day with a personal wellness session at 10 a.m. This is not about mental health, she says, but helping students set and achieve personal goals and breaking free from something she believes plagues post-Communist countries – the Soviet mindset. Katter wants students to gain confidence and aim high in their careers. Grains sets out a path to progress in the hospitality industry, but the skills they learn are transferable to other jobs if students want to try something else. "In the Soviet mindset, everyone is just confined to whatever life path is outlined for them. We want to show to the students that they can be creators of the reality they want to live in,' Katter said, adding that she also sees this issue in her homeland, Kazakhstan. For now, Grains has space for maximum 20 people per course, and soon students will be able to stay in on-site dormitories. For the first program, the school interviewed 60 applicants and accepted 12 who the company felt were keen to remain in hospitality. The first students graduated on May 23, and 95% went on to work at Shelest. The next program will launch at the end of July for housekeepers, while the team currently develops a culinary arts course with esteemed Kyiv chef Mirali Dilbazi. One student, Tetiana Izorkina, originally from now-occupied Luhansk, saw the program advertised on Telegram, a messaging app. Stable and safe work is hard to find in her current town, Dobropillia, Donetsk Oblast, which is near the front line. Her mother and grandmother initially thought Grains was a scam because it was free, an issue that Katter says will be solved once the company has a bigger presence and reputation. Fortunately for Izorkina, it wasn't, and she found herself in awe of the manicured lawns, flowerbeds, and contemporary art that decorates the resort. "In Donetsk Oblast, you only see gray colors. There are only soldiers around me, and you cannot see beautiful art. You only see dark," she said, adding how happy and emotional she felt to be on the course. For Izorkina, hospitality will be one of the key industries when the war ends, as tourist numbers are expected to climb back to over 14 million per year. She wants to join those working in hotels, restaurants, and bars to welcome tourists with high hospitality standards. In the long term, Ukraine is just the beginning, and Katter wants to take it worldwide. She sees Germany as the next country due to the high number of displaced people living there. "What we are building right now in Ukraine is a start. It's a blueprint that we want to develop in the future. Grains needs to become a tool that works for people everywhere in the world," she said. Hi, it's Dominic, thank you for reading this story. It's not all doom and gloom in Ukraine, and I want to shine a light on some of the positive things happening during the war. The women I met on the course were incredible and inspiring. It takes a lot to completely start fresh in life, especially when you've had everything turned upside down. To help us keep bringing you good news from Ukraine, please consider becoming a member. We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
‘Sometimes I lose it': Famously direct restaurateur sells up after more than 50 years
As the June 24 auction date looms at one of Sydney's oldest restaurants, Stuyvesant's House owner Rudi Dietz talks about retirement but is determined to go out swinging for the hospitality industry. The famously direct restaurateur is down a chef for lunch service, and clearly under the pump at his Crows Nest restaurant. He excuses himself to answer a call on another line: 'Please don't ask me how I am, what do you want?' Previous SlideNext Slide It isn't a show, you only have to read some of the restaurant's online reviews. But it's the industry Dietz loves the most he wants to talk about. How governments and trade associations have in his eyes neglected hospitality, and not worked hard enough to bring skilled workers to the country. They also lost opportunities for boosting tourism, he believes. 'Australia is a beautiful place,' he says. The same beautiful place the German-born Dietz eyed on promotional posters in Europe in the late 1960s. He arrived in Australia in 1970, and three years later took over Stuyvesant's House, which had originally opened in 1961 as a Dutch restaurant. Dietz put his own imprint on the menu and personality in the place, while his brother Max joined him on the floor.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Sometimes I lose it': Famously direct restaurateur sells up after more than 50 years
As the June 24 auction date looms at one of Sydney's oldest restaurants, Stuyvesant's House owner Rudi Dietz talks about retirement but is determined to go out swinging for the hospitality industry. The famously direct restaurateur is down a chef for lunch service, and clearly under the pump at his Crows Nest restaurant. He excuses himself to answer a call on another line: 'Please don't ask me how I am, what do you want?' Previous SlideNext Slide It isn't a show, you only have to read some of the restaurant's online reviews. But it's the industry Dietz loves the most he wants to talk about. How governments and trade associations have in his eyes neglected hospitality, and not worked hard enough to bring skilled workers to the country. They also lost opportunities for boosting tourism, he believes. 'Australia is a beautiful place,' he says. The same beautiful place the German-born Dietz eyed on promotional posters in Europe in the late 1960s. He arrived in Australia in 1970, and three years later took over Stuyvesant's House, which had originally opened in 1961 as a Dutch restaurant. Dietz put his own imprint on the menu and personality in the place, while his brother Max joined him on the floor.
DW
5 days ago
- Sport
- DW
Boston Bruins make Marco Sturm the NHL's first German coach – DW – 06/05/2025
The Boston Bruins have named Marco Sturm as their new head coach. The former Bruins player led Germany to a silver medal in ice hockey at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Marco Sturm has finally reached his goal since retiring as a player in 2013 — becoming head coach of a team in the National Hockey League, the sport's top league. It's not just another team in the NHL either; the Bruins are an Original Six team and the winner of six Stanley Cups, the last having come in 2011. These factors make it a particularly coveted job and the Bruins interviewed several candidates before settling on Sturm. 'Preparation and passion' "Marco impressed us at every step with his preparation, clarity, and passion," Bruins GM Don Sweeney said in a statement. "His path — playing for multiple NHL teams, coaching internationally, and leading at both the AHL 8 [American Hockey League] and NHL levels — has shaped a well-rounded coach who's earned this opportunity." Sturm said he was "incredibly honored" to be named the 30th head coach in the Bruins' more than a century of history. "Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans. I've felt that passion as a player, and I can't wait to be behind the bench and feel it again," Sturm said. "I'm excited to get to work and do everything I can to help this team succeed." 'A new direction' With the Bruins, Sturm takes over a team looking to bounce back next season after having missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. "We're embracing a new direction with Marco behind the bench and are confident his energy, standards, and commitment to a competitive, hard-nosed brand of hockey reflect exactly what Bruins hockey should be." Sweeney said. On the positive side, the fact that they have nine first or second-round picks in the NHL Entry Draft over the next three years, means a big part of Sturm's job promises to be developing talented youngsters, which he sees as his strength. "I love working with young players, and if you look closely at my resume, transitions are my strength," Sturm told the SID news agency last month. "That was the case with the (German) national team and also in my work as a coach for the (Los Angeles) Kings' farm team," he added, referring to the AHL's Ontario Reign, where he spent the past three seasons as head coach in the development league. Strictly speaking, Sturm is not the first German to coach an NHL team. That was Canadian-born Ralph Krueger, who coached both the Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres. However, Sturm is the first German-born coach who learned the game in the country. From DEL rookie to solid NHL career Sturm spent his first two professional seasons as a player with Landshut, then with Germany's top flight, the DEL, before joining the San Jose Sharks in 1997 — a year after they had made him the 21st overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. The centerman would go on to play 17 seasons and more than 1,000 games (including playoffs) in the NHL — including five years in Boston — before wrapping up his career in the DEL in 2013. Marco Sturm spent five seasons as a player in Boston Image: picture-alliance/Icon SMI/M. Tureski Less than two years later, Sturm got his first major head coaching job, which may have looked like a slightly daunting task. When Sturm took over in 2015, the German men's national team had been in the doldrums for some time, with the lowlight being a 12-4 drubbing at the hands of Norway at the World Championship three years earlier. German renaissance With Sturm came a breath of fresh air, remotivating players who had seemed to be reluctant to play for Germany under a couple of his predecessors. Prior to the 2015 Worlds, then-Germany coach Pat Cortina had 22 players refuse his invitation, albeit some due to injury. This changed under Sturm, suddenly players were motivated to wear the black, red and gold again — and the results followed. Sturm led Germany to the quarterfinals of the World Championship in 2016 — for the first time in five years. His greatest success would come less than two years later, when Germany surprised the hockey world by winning the silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Marco Sturm (right) turned the German men's hockey team around, winning Olympic silver in 2018 Image: Peter Kneffel/dpa/picture-alliance At that point Sturm looked set to lead Germany into the next few World Championships and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, particularly since he had signed an extension with the national team just ahead of Pyeongchang. Then came the call from across the pond that would take him back to his adopted home, the United States. With another of his former teams, the Los Angeles Kings floundering early in 2018-19, the coaching staff were given their walking papers. Sturm was brought in as an assistant. The right path After his three-plus seasons in Los Angeles, though, Sturm decided that being an assistant in the NHL wasn't enough to prepare him for his goal of being a head coach in the world's top hockey league. So, in the summer of 2022 he took the head coaching job with the Ontario Reign. "I have goals, and I am convinced that this path will unlock many opportunites for the future," Sturm told the regional German daily Straubinger Tagblatt at the time. The German coach looks back on a successful period with the Reign, having guided them to three winning seasons, posting a winning percentage of over .600 in the last two – even if playoff success eluded him. Getting the Bruins back into the playoffs will be his first order of business in Beantown. Edited by: Matt Pearson
Qatar Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Trump refuses to lay blame for war on Russia
dpa Washingon US President Donald Trump once again refused to single out Russia as the aggressor and instigator of the more than three-year conflict, in contrast to his German guest, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who put the blame squarely on Moscow. When asked if he is willing to slap Russia with more sanctions, Turmp said: 'When I see the moment when it's not going to stop, we'll be very tough.' But he added that he might hit Ukraine with sanctions. 'It could be on both countries - it takes two to tango,'Trump said. Trump also likened Russia's war against Ukraine to two children who hate each other and are fighting in a playground, saying, 'Sometimes you're better off letting them fight for a while.' Merz, however, was clear that Russia is the aggressor and instigator of the conflict, while Trump was not so unequivocal. 'We are on the side of Ukraine,' Merz said, adding that Germany and the European Union are 'trying to make them stronger and stronger.' Later in the press conference, Merz, when asked if he agreed with that analogy, did not address the child comparison but said he and Trump agree that the war is bad. 'We both agree on this war and how terrible this war is going on, and we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon.' Merz said he told Trump that the US president is the key person in the world who can really put an end to the war by putting pressure on Russia.'He said he would speak about this in his one-on-one talks with Trump later on Thursday. Merz has gifted Trump a copy of the birth certificate of Trump's German-born grandfather, inviting the US leader to visit his ancestral lands. Born 1869 in what was then part of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Friedrich Trump grew up in Kallstadt, a village tucked away in the lush winegrowing valleys lining the Rhine river to the south of Frankfurt.
