Start of Apprenticeships 2024

Late summer sunshine and a training center full of guests awaited the 31 new apprentices at the start of their apprenticeships at the Plansee Group in Breitenwang/Reutte. The site was once again able to fill all its training positions.

"The start of an apprenticeship is a big step for young people, but equally significant for the company," noted Joachim Resch, Head of Vocational Training and Continuing Education, in his welcome speech. Those who bring performance and a willingness to learn can lay the foundation for a good future here at the Plansee Group. Investments are made not only in infrastructure, as shown by the training and education center, but the apprenticeship program is also continuously developed thematically, so that it will also cover topics such as automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics in the future.

Shaping the Company's Success Together

With 11 young women, over a third of the new apprentices, the Plansee Group once again exceeds the Tyrol-wide industry average. This was also noted by the Chairman of the Plansee Group, Karlheinz Wex, who introduced the company in his speech: "Our products are often not visible, but they are crucial for the functionality of many everyday items."

Ulrich Lausecker, in his dual role as a member of the Plansee Group's Executive Board and Managing Director of Plansee SE, welcomed the apprentices who are starting their training in metal, materials, and electrical engineering this year to the "Champions League," a world-leading company in its industry. In his speech, he emphasized the high value of qualities such as readiness to perform, respect, and diligence in matters of work safety to help shape the future success of the Plansee Group. The importance of the apprenticeship was also emphasized by Simon Jost, Managing Director of Ceratizit Austria: "Many people in the Plansee Group work to continuously optimize the apprenticeship, incorporate the feedback from apprentices, and further develop it." He encouraged the apprentices to get to know their strengths so that the company can utilize them accordingly.

Robert Dreer, Chairman of the Works Council and Works Committee, also invited the apprentices to take advantage of this opportunity – on the "first stage of their professional lives." With the apprenticeship contract, they have a right to good training, and the Plansee Group offers them a comprehensive package. It is up to them to make use of it. Principal Stefan Schlichtherle explained the dual training concept: Most apprentices can attend the company's own vocational school, only the electrical engineers go to Innsbruck.

Out of the Comfort Zone

"The Plansee Group invests a lot of money and effort in training to continue to achieve top performance as a company," emphasized Resch and Schlichtherle. But the apprenticeship itself also achieves top performance: whether with outstanding results in the TyrolSkills apprentice competition or with the extension of the "Excellent Tyrolean Training Company" award for the Plansee Group until 2027.

The new apprentices and their parents were welcomed to the ceremonial start of the apprenticeship not only by the training team, the guests of honor, and numerous executives but also by those who had sat in the same seats with just as much nervousness and curiosity a year earlier: the second-year apprentices. Niklas Hackl and Franziska Bilgeri addressed their own words to their successors. To ease their nervousness about the new phase of life, they humorously shared their own experiences. Nevertheless, they encouraged the new apprentices to step out of their comfort zone to develop as individuals: because that is also what the apprenticeship at the Plansee Group stands for. All the speakers at the apprenticeship start ceremony, which was accompanied by culinary delights from the company restaurant team, emphasized that their doors are always open and that older apprentices, the training team, the board, management, and the works council are also available for conversations in difficult moments. These words were also addressed to the parents who accompany their children in this new phase of life and thus become part of the apprenticeship years. And if the summit of the training ever seems unconquerable, the training center has an ace up its sleeve: three of the 12 trainers are volunteer mountain rescuers.

Photos: Rolf Marke