The new apprenticeship year at BITZER in Sindelfingen and Rottenburg, Germany, has already begun. Nine young adults kicked off their career training with BITZER, the refrigeration and air conditioning specialist, on 1 September, and another three will begin their practical degree course on 1 October. If they successfully complete their apprenticeship or dual degree course at Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), the doors will be wide open to them at BITZER.
‘Considering the lack of skilled workers these days, we’re especially delighted to welcome a new generation of young talents,’ says Martin Frädrich, Head of Vocational Training at BITZER. One apprentice in warehouse logistics, one in industrial business management and four in industrial mechanics are joining the refrigeration and air conditioning specialist this year. In addition, three mechatronics technicians are starting their new apprenticeship year, one student her dual degree course in industrial business studies and another student his dual degree course in information management. For the first time, a spot in the dual degree course in mechatronics engineering at the DHBW campus in Horb has been secured and filled. All the other spots are offered in collaboration with DHBW at the Stuttgart campus.
‘We couldn’t be happier that more and more young people are interested in the mechatronics vocational training course and the associated dual degree course. The combined abilities of mechanics, electronics and computer science will also be more and more important for us in the future, as our products grow ever more complex,’ says Frädrich. BITZER is hoping to find specialists, hold on to them over the long term and continuously provide them with opportunities to develop. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that students of mechatronics engineering and industrial business studies were once BITZER apprentices who were given the opportunity to spend time in a wide variety of interesting departments and thus get to know the company from the ground up.
BITZER will welcome the young adults with a three-day induction period designed to make the first steps in the new environment easier for the newcomers. A variety of activities and presentations will provide them with the opportunity to get to know BITZER a little better as well as meet vocational trainers, various managers and technical specialists, and apprentices in their second and third year of training for the first time. The induction period will end with a barbecue and certificate ceremony for this year’s graduates.
‘We cannot keep our quality promise to customers without motivated, well-trained employees. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to maintain and further expand our status as a global driver of innovation in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, which is why we offer young people a long-term, promising career beyond their apprenticeship and degree course,’ emphasises Frädrich. The BITZER vocational training model has proven its worth for years, as demonstrated by the many awards that the company has received for its apprenticeship activities. This year, BITZER was named one of ‘Germany’s best apprenticeship providers’ by Focus and Focus Money for the fourth time in a row, and received similar acknowledgement from the Welt daily newspaper.
With the start of the new vocational training year, a total of 28 apprentices and seven students will have their hands full at the Sindelfingen and Rottenburg sites. The company is already looking for new recruits for the coming year.
