"regioLab" project: A pioneer as a digital location in Lower Saxony

11.09.2023 - Economics Minister Olaf Lies visits participating company Hilmer to get a first-hand impression

: Erfolgreich von regioLab beraten: Alexander Skubowius, Fachbereichsleiter Wirtschafts- und Beschäftigungsförderung der Region Hannover (v.r.) und Niedersachsens Wirtschaftsminister Olaf Lies besuchen die Hilmer GmbH CNC-Technik: Die Geschäftsführenden Peter Hilmer (v.l.) und Heike Hilmer-Börner zusammen mit Mitarbeiter Nabil Ben Salah. © Region Hannover — Successfully advised by regioLab: Alexander Skubowius, Head of the Economic and Employment Promotion Department of the Hannover Region (from right) and Lower Saxony's Economics Minister Olaf Lies visit Hilmer GmbH CNC-Technik: Managing Directors Peter Hilmer (from left) and Heike Hilmer-Börner together with employee Nabil Ben Salah. Hanover Region

A location does not always have to be physical. TheregioLabproject, which is funded by the Hannover Region Economic Development Agency and the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs,wasnamed a Digital Place Lower Saxony last year, setting new standards in the promotion of digital transformation for SMEs in the region.

The focus here is on the skills of the workforce within companies. Qualification and lifelong learning are key to dealing with the transformation and the shortage of skilled workers. To see the impact of the project for himself, Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs, Olaf Lies, visited a company that works closely with regioLab. Hilmer GmbH CNC-Technik, a medium-sized metalworking company in the Hanover region, had invited him.

"As an active participant in the regioLab project's training network, Hilmer GmbH CNC-Technik, like many other medium-sized companies in the Hanover region - and throughout Lower Saxony - is faced with the task of mastering the digitalization process and counteracting the ongoing shortage of skilled workers. Qualification and further training are crucial aspects here. In this context, regioLab offers solutions that address precisely the right interface. I am delighted that we have such a pioneer in the Hannover Region with regioLab."

Economics Minister Olaf Lies

"The regioLab aims to help small and medium-sized companies in the Hannover Region to help themselves: We want to empower companies to use their own potential to master the digital transformation and learn from each other across industries."

Alexander Skubowius, Head of the Economic and Employment Promotion Department of the Hannover Region

"RegioLab helped me very quickly and very specifically. I just had a problem at our company and was looking for alternative solutions. RegioLab was the right institution in the right place at the right time. I attended a workshop and took the methods I learned there straight back to my company. For me, regioLab is a point of contact, a source of inspiration and a contact exchange within Hanover - and I am grateful to have discovered regioLab for myself."

Heike Hilmer-Börner, Managing Director of Hilmer GmbH CNC-Technik

The award as a Digital Place Lower Saxony underlines the recognition and appreciation for initiatives, projects and institutions that are outstandingly committed to digitalization and actively contribute to the digital transformation in the state. regioLab stands out as an atypical Digital Place - here, the focus is not only on innovative technologies, but above all on people.

The three-person regioLab team inspires companies to deal with the aspects of digitalization and the transformation of the working world. The team provides support and impetus on specific issues relating to personnel and organizational development. With the regioLab network, a network has also beencreated in which companies can regularly discuss challenges and solutions.

The regioLab project was launched in July 2021 and is part of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs' (BMAS) funding initiative "Development of further training networks". The main objective of regioLab is to sensitize small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to the topic of qualification and further training. The project aims to support companies strategically and sustainably in the use of further training measures in order to take advantage of the opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation. The main target groups are the manufacturing industry, the skilled trades and the healthcare industry, in particular the care sector.

To achieve these goals, regioLab offers free one-day workshops, virtual meet-ups and networking events. These events cover various topics relating to personnel and organizational development, such as corporate strategy, corporate culture and learning infrastructure. The workshops offer practical ideas that can be implemented directly in your own company. The companies have the opportunity to exchange experiences across sectors and learn from each other.

The Hannover Region is contributing 30 percent of the total costs of around 986,000 euros, while the remaining 70 percent is covered by funding from the BMAS. Since the start of the project, a total of 83 companies from the manufacturing industry, skilled trades and the healthcare industry in the Hannover Region have been reached through 22 workshops/meet-ups.

The "regioLab Weiterbildung Hannover" project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Hannover Region.