German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) is expanding its use of gaming and esports to attract new staff, with the company aiming to recruit around 20,000 employees in 2025, including over 5,000 junior positions.
Central to this approach is the DB Esports Scholarship, run since 2022 in partnership with the esports player foundation (epf). The scheme supports trainees and dual-study students at DB InfraGO AG, the public service infrastructure company of Deutsche Bahn, offering coaching in gameplay, sports psychology and nutrition alongside their professional training. So far, 42 scholarships have been awarded, with about 1,500 applications received through DB’s gaming-related channels.
“With DB-Gaming, we combine passion with perspective – because if you show team spirit, strategy and perseverance, you’ve come to the right place,” said Heinz Siegmund, Managing Director of Personnel at DB InfraGO AG.
The scholarship covers competitive games such as League of Legends, VALORANT, EA FC, Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) and Brawl Stars, with recipients receiving individual coaching, bootcamps, and hardware support to improve performance. Selection is based on in-game statistics and a virtual evaluation with esports experts.
The initiative extends beyond scholarships. DB runs tournaments, operates a Discord community with over 1,000 members, and includes esports in its official company sports programme. The company also promoted job opportunities at the Cologne Central Station during Gamescom.
According to Julius Althoff, Managing Director of efp: “Gaming and esports are not only part of youth culture, but also open up a wide range of career opportunities. With the DB Esports Scholarship, DB continues to set international unique standards in the promotion of e-sports athletes.”
The push for esports talent is also linked to DB’s wider restructuring programme, S3, which aims to improve reliability, punctuality and profitability at the company. Applications can be submitted in this link.
