Senior Expert Service

Senior Expert Service (SES), known in Chinese as 退休专家服务局, is Germany's largest volunteer sending organisation for retired professionals and executives, as well as for professionals taking a career break (the Weltdienst 30+ programme). Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Bonn, the organisation operates as a non-profit limited liability company (gemeinnützige GmbH, gGmbH) and is wholly owned by the SES-Stiftung (SES Foundation), which was established in 2003. The foundation's founding members are the leading associations of German business: the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), and the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH). SES works on the principle of 'help for self-help' (Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe), deploying volunteer experts to share their professional knowledge and experience in development cooperation. Since 1983 it has carried out more than 70,000 volunteer assignments in 170 countries. Its experts are active in all industries and sectors, and the organisation currently has more than 14,000 registered Experts. The average age of its volunteers is 69, and women make up 28 percent of the expert pool. Assignments typically last between three weeks and six months, and the experts themselves are unpaid volunteers; travel, accommodation and living costs at the place of assignment are borne by the beneficiaries. Abroad, SES primarily benefits small and medium-sized enterprises, public administrations, chambers of commerce and business associations, social and medical institutions, and institutions of basic and vocational education. In Germany, SES focuses on supporting young people in schools (the school programme) and in vocational training (VerAplus – Improving Training Success). It is also a partner of the German-African Youth Office (DAJW) through the Team works! programme, supporting young African and German professionals. The organisation is represented throughout Germany by regional offices and worldwide by around 200 representatives in 90 countries. In 2024 SES renamed itself Senior Expert Service (SES), converted into a gGmbH, and founded German Senior Experts (GSE). Its work has been recognised with numerous awards, including the Otto Mühlschlegel Prize of the Robert Bosch Foundation in 2014 and the '365 Places in the Land of Ideas' competition in 2009. German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier has publicly praised SES as a flagship of volunteer engagement in Germany and around the world.

Senior Expert Service (SES) was founded in 1983 as a non-profit organisation to channel the know-how of retired German professionals and executives into development cooperation. In 1985 it became a GmbH (limited liability company) and a non-profit society; its first shareholders were the DIHK (German Chamber of Industry and Commerce), the BDI (Federation of German Industries) and other bodies. In 1990 the first expert assignment inside Germany took place in Thuringia. The ZDH (German Confederation of Skilled Crafts) became a shareholder in 1992, and in 2002 the BDA (Confederation of German Employers' Associations) replaced the CDF as a shareholder. A major structural change came in 2003 with the founding of the SES-Stiftung (SES Foundation). The BDA, BDI, DIHK and ZDH transferred their shares in SES GmbH to the foundation, which has since been the sole shareholder of the operating company. The foundation's organs – board, management and curatorium – all work on a voluntary basis and are filled by senior figures from German business, its associations, the chambers and German development policy. In 2006 the SES school programme was launched, followed in 2008 by the VerA initiative to prevent vocational training dropouts. In 2009 SES was a prize-winner in the '365 Places in the Land of Ideas' competition, and in 2012 it was recognised by the 'Germany – Land of Long Life' initiative. In 2014 it received the Otto Mühlschlegel Prize from the Robert Bosch Foundation. In 2017 SES founded Weltdienst 30+ for professionals and executives taking a career break. In 2021 it became a partner in the German-African Youth Office (DAJW). In 2024 the organisation renamed itself Senior Expert Service (SES), converted into a non-profit limited liability company (gGmbH), and founded German Senior Experts (GSE). The VerA initiative was continued under the name VerAplus – Improving Training Success. In 2025 SES was a prize-winner in the competition 'Growing Together: Good Ideas for Integration in the Labour Market 2025', and VerAplus received the Unterallgäu Social Prize. By this time SES had carried out more than 70,000 volunteer assignments in 170 countries, with over 14,000 registered Experts and around 200 representatives in 90 countries.

• 2025

  SES is a prize-winner in the 'Growing Together: Good Ideas for Integration in the Labour Market 2025' competition; VerAplus receives the Unterallgäu Social Prize.

• 2024

  SES renames itself Senior Expert Service (SES), converts into a gGmbH, and founds German Senior Experts (GSE); VerA continues as VerAplus.

• 2021

  SES becomes a partner in the German-African Youth Office (DAJW).

• 2017

  SES founds Weltdienst 30+ for professionals and executives on a career break.

• 2014

  SES receives the Otto Mühlschlegel Prize from the Robert Bosch Foundation.

• 2012

  SES is a prize-winner of the 'Germany – Land of Long Life' initiative.

• 2009

  SES is a prize-winner in the '365 Places in the Land of Ideas' competition.

• 2008

  VerA initiative to prevent vocational training dropouts begins.

• 2006

  SES school programme launched.

• 2003

  SES-Stiftung founded; BDA, BDI, DIHK and ZDH transfer their shares to the foundation, which becomes sole shareholder.

• 2002

  BDA replaces the CDF as a shareholder.

• 1992

  ZDH (German Confederation of Skilled Crafts) becomes a shareholder.

• 1990

  First expert assignment inside Germany takes place in Thuringia.

• 1985

  SES becomes a GmbH and non-profit society; first shareholders include DIHK and BDI.

• 1983

  SES founded as a non-profit organisation for deploying retired German experts in development cooperation.

Non-profit, volunteer-based know-how transfer organisation for development cooperation and domestic youth support, backed by Germany's leading business associations.

• Weltdienst (worldwide expert deployment)

  Deployment of retired experts for assignments abroad, typically lasting three weeks to six months.

• Weltdienst 30+

  Programme for professionals and executives taking a career break, founded in 2017.

• School programme (Schulprogramm)

  Domestic programme supporting young people in schools, launched in 2006.

• VerAplus – Improving Training Success

  Initiative to prevent vocational training dropouts, originally launched as VerA in 2008 and renamed VerAplus in 2024.

• Team works! (with DAJW)

  Programme supporting young African and German professionals, partnership started in 2021.

1. 1Senior Expert Service: Homeses-bonn.de
2. 2Senior Expert Service: Profilses-bonn.de
3. 3Senior Expert Service: Chronikses-bonn.de
4. 4Senior Expert Service: Stiftungses-bonn.de
5. 5Wikidata: 退休专家服务局wikidata.org
6. 6Wikipedia (fr): Senior Expert Servicefr.wikipedia.org