HYDRO kicks off the 2017 apprenticeship year with extremely motivated young talent
Ready for their apprenticeship at HYDRO – The 2017 apprenticeship year with their instructors Christian San Millan (second from left) and Daniel Geiger (right)
Source: HYDRO Systems KG
German wrestling champion starts apprenticeship at HYDRO
Biberach i.K. – At the beginning of September, a total of 12 young and talented individuals started their apprenticeship at HYDRO in Biberach, Germany. “The best of the best – and I mean it. They were up against a large number of applicants and came out on top,” explains Daniel Geiger, Head of Business Administration Training at HYDRO. As of this writing, there are just under 40 young people in the middle of their apprenticeship or training at our various locations, with their chosen fields ranging from mechatronics technicians, to ironworkers, to students completing a dual studies program. And during their first few weeks, each and every one of them participate in introductory workshops on topics such as finances, time management, and organization management, among other key activities.
HYDRO is an industry leader with a worldwide presence and headquarters in Biberach, in the Kinzig Valley. It employs around 700 team members who make products and projects for aircraft maintenance, production, and final assembly a reality. Moreover, the company’s customers include all internationally important aircraft manufacturers, airlines, airports, and MRO companies.
Patrick Neumaier, the current German wrestling champion, just recently started his training at HYDRO. The 18-year-old decided to focus on mechatronics, which nicely complements the sport that he practices, and in which he recently represented Germany in Greece at the Cadet World Championship.
Another inspiring case is that of a young man who is the first refugee to start his training at HYDRO. The 19-year-old arrived in Germany in 2016 after a two-year journey that began with his escape from his home country of Afghanistan. A little more background first: At its Biberach location, HYDRO is offering three young refugees the opportunity to do an internship to learn more about production and, above all, to get the chance to become an apprentice at HYDRO. During his internship, the young Afghan quickly showed what he was made of and qualified straight away for an apprenticeship training position.
HYDRO is an international company, which is something that its apprentices definitely benefit from: Internships abroad in Singapore or the USA, or assembly assignments in Hamburg or at the Frankfurt Airport, are not uncommon, for example. And on top of this, there are team events on a regular basis. In fact, during this year’s apprentice excursion to the Stuttgart Airport, the whole young team got to learn more about the processes that enable a large airport to keep running.
As a family business, HYDRO values a long-term approach. “For us, training is an investment in the future. At HYDRO, apprentices have excellent long-term career prospects and can actively help shape the company,” Barbara Huttegger, Managing Partner of HYDRO Systems, says. In fact, the company was able to increase its apprentice-to-full-employee ratio again this year to an impressive 10 percent, which is far higher than the industry average.