Earning their own money at last

Klumpp Präzisionswerk in Pößneck has two new apprentices

It is the first day of training for Hugo Pitzing and Anthony Franke, and it is packed from the outset with new impressions and knowledge. A tour of the plant, various training sessions on subjects such as environmental protection and occupational safety, handling hazardous substances and energy and quality management, but also practical skills such as marking out, centre punching and filing are all on the programme. Over the coming years the two young men from Pößneck, aged 16 and 17, will train as a machine and plant operator and a mechatronics technician respectively at Klumpp Präzisionswerk in Pößneck-Ost. Matthias Schroth will train Hugo Pitzing, while Uwe Blumenstein is the contact for Anthony Franke. Both apprentices are looking forward to the new challenges – and above all to earning their own money at last.

For Anthony Franke, the apprenticeship he has now begun was the only logical step. “I do a lot of tinkering with electronics in my free time,” he says. A work placement also gave him a taste of mechatronics, after which he knew that he could see this direction for his career as well – effectively turning his hobby into his job. His apprenticeship will last three and a half years, and he will spend a large part of it not at Klumpp but at the vocational training centre in Saalfeld. Once his training is complete, he could also imagine going on to study. For Hugo Pitzing, too, the top priority is to complete his apprenticeship successfully. “After that I can take other paths. But for now I am taking it as it comes,” he says.

It was no coincidence that the applications from both Hugo Pitzing and Anthony Franke landed at Klumpp. Anthony knew the company from a careers fair and through personal contacts, while Hugo knew it from school. “The company introduced itself to us. I applied and it worked out with an apprenticeship straight away,” he reports.

Matthias Schroth knows only too well what an asset personal contact is when recruiting apprentices – he regularly visits schools in Pößneck, Oppurg and Neustadt or runs a stand at the careers fair. “Getting into conversation with people is something quite different from placing an advertisement somewhere. You can answer questions and be more specific,” he says. Even so, finding suitable applicants is not easy, which is why the company decided on only two new apprentices this year.

Incidentally, Hugo Pitzing and Anthony Franke also have the chance to learn something outside their chosen occupation – namely beekeeping. “We have had two beehives since May, and a third will follow shortly,” explains Matthias Schroth. There is enough space for them on the company premises, and it allows the company to make its own contribution to sustainability. Klumpp employee Klaus Nürk is a hobby beekeeper and is currently passing his knowledge on to two other colleagues. “We have already extracted honey twice, and it was distributed to the staff,” says Matthias Schroth. The new apprentices are invited to take part in the project too.