Sound vocational training is more important today than ever before. The eleven new trainees at Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) are well aware of this. The company has been training skilled workers for many years - and at a high level. In this way, the company ensures that its trainees have a solid basis for their start in professional life.
It starts with a breakfast together, followed by the obligatory induction week and concludes with a technology tour, during which the new trainees get to know their predecessors and choose their training mentors: Stadtwerke Giessen's training concept gives career starters enough time to slowly familiarise themselves with their new phase of life. They make their first contacts with trainers and future colleagues in a relaxed environment. "We encourage our junior employees to use this familiarisation phase to precisely define their own goals and prospects once again," explains Ruth Biehl-Franze, Head of Training at SWG. She knows: "The more precise the picture of their own expectations and requirements, the better the trainees are able to assess how they can contribute their potential to the company. A decisive step on the way to independence."
Team player and committed
Two industrial clerks, one IT specialist specialising in system integration, one qualified pool attendant, four electronics technicians for industrial engineering, one machine and plant operator, two plant mechanics specialising in pipe system technology and one technical college student are starting their training at Stadtwerke this year. Over the next two to three and a half years, they will acquire the skills they need for their careers. Ruth Biehl-Franze explains what SWG attaches particular importance to: "Good school grades are not the only recruitment criterion. It is important to us that the trainees enjoy their work, show commitment and interest and, above all, are able to work in a team." The training manager is particularly pleased that another young woman wants to qualify as an electronics technician for industrial engineering. "SWG supports young women in asserting themselves in professions that were previously dominated by men. This enables us to tap into a wide range of human resources for the future."
Promoting independence
An important principle of the SWG training concept is that trainees should take on responsibility as early as possible. This is why, for example, the prospective industrial clerks gain valuable experience in their own junior company from the first year of their apprenticeship: Together they manage the SWG shop. From market analyses to purchasing and marketing to accounting, they are responsible for all processes and have to make their own decisions at an early stage. The technical trainees also make their contribution to the junior company. They are involved in product development and the manufacture of certain items.
"With these projects, we encourage creativity, teamwork and independence. At the same time, the trainees gain valuable expertise," explains Ruth Biehl-Franze. "And everyone involved benefits from this."
Modern concept: the region benefits
The Stadtwerke trainees find the ideal setting for high-quality training in the technically well-equipped training centre. And young professionals from other commercial and industrial companies in the region can also gain experience here. Georg Erb and Hagen Luh, the two people responsible for training at SWG, explain: "The young people attend training modules at our centre that their own training company does not offer." The concept has proven its worth: With this cooperation, SWG is making a contribution to the promotion of skilled labour in the entire region.