Geisa. Start to the new training year 2020: Managing director, Klaus Peter Abel, and trainers, Rico Quentmeier and Gunda Weber welcome four new apprentices at the start of September. Over the next three years they will be trained at Abel Metallsysteme to become an industrial management assistant, toolmaker, industrial mechanic and a specialist for metal. This means that 13 young people are currently learning in administration and production at the company. For the quality of their training, last year the company was singled out as an “outstanding training company” by the Thuringia Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
“It is important to us that the apprentices are well received at the company, get to know their contact persons and become familiar with each other. That allows everyone together to make a good start,” explains managing director, Klaus Peter Abel. This year for the first time the firm organised so-called “onboarding” days with a mixture of classic training content, ice-breaker games and interesting insights into the company. For instance, the new apprentices, Jean Piere Abe, Tom Deisenroth, Piere Mummert and Tobias Kümmel went on a discovery tour through the company together with two trainees in their 3rd year as apprentices. Together with trainers, Rico Quentmeier and Denny Kreiß, they then produced their own pen holder made of aluminium, coloured it in the in-house powder coating facility and at the same time got to know the production team and the two production buildings. On the first day there was also classic training content, for example about the company history, on the issue of safety and about exactly how the training year would proceed. The motto for the second get-to-know-you day was “Fit for the new training year”. The new apprentices completed a balance challenge and were given nutritional advice and motivation tips from the staff at Barmer GEK, the health insurance provider.
“We are pleased that the first two days were able to be organised in such an active way for our new apprentices whilst complying with the hygiene protection measures. We deliberately opted for such a face-to-face event together. Despite all the modern and digital possibilities, young people need direct contact especially at moments like these. Because that is the basis for working together well during their training,” says Klaus Peter Abel explaining the start of training. And the two days were also a good introduction for the apprentices.
“We felt really comfortable and have already got to know a lot of the staff,” says Jean Piere Abe. “I found the contact with the older trainees particularly important. This way it is easier to pick up tips or to simply ask questions if there are any problems.” The company wants to conduct such onboarding days in future too and Jean Piere is looking forward to when he can accompany and support the new apprentices on their first day in two years time.