Close to people | Stories from Bethel
Cars are exactly his thing
"I enjoy cars. Whether it's driving or working on them. At home, when something needed to be repaired on the car, we always tried to do it ourselves first. And at some point I realised: you have to do something with cars. It's just fun every day when you come here." Anyone who sees Lars Beckmann in his dark grey overalls quickly realises that the employee with the alert eyes is fully in his element - and in the right place. In his case, this is the large workshop hall at Bethel Vehicle Service in Eckardtsheim.
Cars are constantly being brought in and out by customers, others are being lifted up on the lifting platforms or standing on the brake test bench. The vehicle service takes care of all company vehicles at the v. Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel, for example. Lars Beckmann is always eager to learn, lends a hand wherever he is needed and jumps in when there is a need. "The head of processing gave me the nickname The Joker back then. I can be found in the workshop, for example, changing tyres or oil or doing a brake job. In Bielefeld, many vehicles have to be collected from customers and spare parts have to be collected. I do that too. And I sometimes answer the phone in the office."
The young man with many talents lives with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism. He learnt his knowledge from the mechanics, picking up all the tricks of the trade. "I'm good at memorising routes and telling my colleague where we need to go. The disadvantage is that I sometimes talk a lot. Then people can get a bit annoyed. That's completely normal. And there are times when I talk very little. Then I just do my job and I'm happy."
At first, the technology enthusiast was not at all satisfied in his job. Initially, he worked in Bethel's horticultural department, Lars Beckmann looks back. But that wasn't the right thing for him - cars were. After completing an internship, Lars Beckmann finally ended up at the vehicle service eight years ago. The integrative team there gives him support. Whether with or without disabilities: everyone helps everyone here, and everyone looks out for each other. "We have a refugee colleague from Ukraine who is deaf and dumb. You have to work with gestures and eye contact, he also reads lips. Another sometimes has epileptic fits. He can then tell us just in time that he's having a seizure so that we can intercept him and prevent anything worse from happening."
"My work fulfils me. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought or appeal of an apprenticeship. But there are still things that hold me back. And here you're in a safe environment where you feel comfortable and protected."
Lars Beckmann can relax with sport. Recreational football is his thing, he travels to Lemgo for Bundesliga handball or spruces up the garden at his parents' house. Would he like to train as a car mechanic one day? He thinks about it: "My work fulfils me. Somewhere in the back of my mind is the thought or appeal of an apprenticeship. But there are still things that hold me back. And here you're in a safe environment where you feel comfortable and protected."
Text: Jörn Haarmann | Picture: Matthias Cremer
This story simply told
Lars Beckmann loves cars and works at Bethel Vehicle Service. He helps out everywhere, whether changing tyres, making phone calls or collecting spare parts. Lars Beckmann has Asperger's syndrome and has learnt a lot from his colleagues. He was unhappy in his previous job in the nursery, but his work with cars fulfils him greatly.
