Hamburg (Germany): Discovery.Hamburg-Tour – a scavenger hunt for young maritime professionals

Challenge(s)

How can the shortage of young talents in the maritime industry be counteracted and the image of the port industry improved for young people?

Recommendation(s)

Develop a digital scavenger hunt to showcase the port's companies

In order to inspire young people for maritime professions, the Discovery.Hamburg-Tour was launched. The app-based Tour takes place in form of a digital scavenger hunt through the Port of Hamburg and aims to introduce and show young people the wide range of innovation and technology in the maritime industry. Nowadays, there is often still an outdated image of ports and maritime companies as dirty and labour-intensive. By showcasing the innovation and technology of the maritime sector, the Discovery.Hamburg-Tour highlights the attractiveness and opportunities of the maritime sector.

Good practice

The tour enables matchmaking between port companies and potential new employees through company visits, which are integrated into the scavenger hunt, while helping the talents to familiarize themselves with the historic port environment. Young people compete in groups against each other and answer questions about the maritime industry and about content that is conveyed during short company visits.

 Our experience has shown that the gamification approach of the scavenger hunt can provide young people with knowledge about the maritime industry and its companies in a playful way. The participants of the scavenger hunt use an app to answer questions about the port and maritime industry and to navigate them through the port and to various company visits. In addition, real-life encounters with companies help young people relate to companies and increase the likelihood that they will apply for jobs there in the future.

As part of our Discovery.Hamburg tour, all partner companies and participants are invited to join a dedicated Slack channel (an online chat platform). This platform fosters ongoing connections between young scavenger hunters and maritime companies. Participants can stay in touch with the companies, while the companies can inform the Discovery.Hamburg-Alumni about job openings, bachelor or master thesis topics, internships, and other relevant information. This initiative not only aims to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers, but also enhances networking among port companies, aligning with the mission of the Hamburg Port Authority.

This experimentation is part of the Connected River Project, funded by Interreg North Sea.