VSM · Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken AG, /

Press release

Winner of the Lower Integration Award Hanover, 07.09.2017 On Tuesday 29 August 2017, Fritz Kelle, Chairman of Author ZUKUNFTINC. initiative. Marktführer. Hannover. e. V. and HR Sarah Trzynka Manager of VSM AG, attended an award ceremony to receive the Integration Award. The award was conferred by Minister President Stephan Weil and Doris Schröder-Köpf, Regional Representative for Migration and Integration for the State of Lower Saxony. The honorary speech was given by Nariman Reinke, a member of the Commission for Migration and Integration of the Lower Saxony Parliament and Chairwoman of Deutscher.Soldat. e.V.

Awardees chosen from among these committed companies, initiatives and associations are outstanding and are also representing other committed individuals. The jury chose a total of four companies or initiatives from more than 90 applications received and, as in the past, again awarded a special prize this year.

Since 2012, VSM AG has been involved in the ZUKUNFTINC. “Fit for Training” project, which started out giving young people who were underperforming at school or showed a lack of basic skills during a qualification period the chance to secure a training position. Since 2016, the project has focussed on refugees. In 2016, VSM AG offered a training position to two of the four refugees being managed at VSM. The two other refugees did not have sufficient language skills. These two young people were given a further training placement to prepare them for their profession. They worked in the company for 3 days a week and the other 2 days they spent on an intensive German language course. They were transferred onto an employment contract after the training year. The project

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was successfully continued in 2017 with a further 2 refugees.

Conferral of Lower Saxony Integration Awards 2017 to ZUKUNFTINC. : (from left) Nariman Reinke, Fritz Kelle (VSM AG), Minister President Stephan Weil, Doris Schröder-Köpf photo: Philipp von Ditfurth

About VSM

With 150 years of experience, VSM AG is one of the leading companies in the international abrasives market. Its core expertise lies in the production of coated abrasives. VSM develops high-end solutions for abrasives, which have to meet the specific requirements of specialist retailers, trade professionals and industry. We always put our customers first. Our network of subsidiaries and sales partners gives us a presence in more than 70 different countries.

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Press contact

VSM · Vereinigte Schmirgel- und Maschinen-Fabriken AG Siegmundstraße 17 30165 Hanover Germany

Sarah Trzynka T +49 511 3526 334 F +49 511 3526 362 [email protected] www.vsmabrasives.com

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