Company History
Our Roots Lie in Aptitude Research
Today's ITB Consulting GmbH, seated in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, was founded in 1971 by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation) as the Institut für Test- und Begabungsforschung (ITB) (Institute for Test Development and Talend Research). It focused on researching high potentials and developing procedures for identifying particularly gifted students. Commissioned by the German federal government, local governments, and other public institutions, ITB developed selection tests (e.g. for the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) and consultation tests - self-assessments - which provided student candidates with information about their own skills and abilities.
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| Dr. Ernst Fay, Managing Director & Partner |
Prof. Dr. Günter Trost, Founding Partner |
Film Statement on our Company History
The company's well-founded analyses, its creative concepts and
in-depth results initially triggered the keen interest of
universities and other institutions. ITB became a renowned
developer of consultation tests and selection tests for
universities both at home in Germany and abroad. For example, the
Mediziner-Test (Aptitude Test
for Medical Studies) (for more information on the Mediziner-Test
TMS/EMS click here ... ) is
just as much an ITB product as are the Eingangstests (Entry Tests)
for the Otto Beisheim School of Management (WHU), the Bucerius Law School, and
the University of
St. Gallen.
Work Commissioned by the Industrial Sector
The company began working for the industrial sector in the mid-1980s. Commercial enterprises showed an interest in using well-founded scientific methods for developing employee selection procedures. The aim was to significantly reduce the risk of companies filling key positions with the wrong people.
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Early Beginnings of ITB Consulting |
For a magazine article (Der Spiegel) about TMS click here ... |
For an article about the "abi" click here ... |
In 1992 the founding members Dr. Franz Blum, Dr. Ernst Fay, Dr. Ulla Maichle, and Prof. Dr. Günter Trost established the company ITB Institut für Test- und Begabungsforschung GmbH. The objective was to use new and more flexible formats to make research findings, the first large-scale tests, and corporate consultation work more accessible to broader groups of companies and other institutions.
Grassroots Support from McKinsey
The consultancy company McKinsey under the auspices of Dr. Michael Jung lent support to the four founding members of ITB Consulting within the scope of a pro-bono project. The crux was how to create a spin-off from the Studienstiftung and give it a stable and secure foothold of its own. Having discussed the entrepreneurial, strategical, and structural ins and outs within the scope of support provided by the consultancy, the young entrepreneurs were also given a very down-to-earth piece of advice: "You've still got something to do about your dress code."
"The term 'war for talent' had not yet been coined, arising
as late as 1997, yet long before that it was already a practical
reality for commercial enterprises. There were few places in
Germany where the tension of this issue became as palpable as it
was in Bonn, the previously quiet and academically peaceful locale
of the Studienstiftung: a hidden treasure lay waiting to be
discovered there. The 'Indiana Jones' in this case were the
scientists of the foundation's own Institut für Test- und
Begabungsforschung (Institute for Test Development and Talent
Research). When we first pointed out the market potential of their
work, the initial response was beset by considerable doubts: the
own research stance of viewing market and business as terra
incognita ...? It took a good bit of courage and thank
goodness it was found."
Dr. Michael Jung, Director emeritus,
McKinsey&Company
The company name was changed to ITB Consulting GmbH in October 2000.
Today: Broad Range of Services - Fairness a Basic Principle
In addition to developing general and specific aptitude tests,
ITB Consulting designs programmes and procedures in the fields of
company recruitment, personnel assessment, and HR development for
public and private sector customers. Each and every ITB procedure
is based on a meticulous analysis of all the requirements faced by
a future "job holder": a job holder can be the "holder" of a
vocational training position, a place at university, a desk officer
position, or an executive position. Based on this analysis,
instruments are chosen, adapted, or newly developed to match these
requirements as accurately and as close to the real business world
as possible. These instruments are used in keeping with the guiding
principles of transparency and fairness. The concrete task at hand
and what is expected of one is always treated openly. The
procedures are fair, meaning that those who have the best
prerequisites for meeting requirements further down the line stand
the greatest chances of success.
ITB Consulting's tests and its other recruitment and HR
development assessment procedures offer huge benefits.