In Switzerland, young people can choose from around 245 apprenticeships to find the one that suits those best – and they can do so at the age of 13 or 14. Not a very easy decision! We vocational trainers at Muller Martini are happy to support young people in this process, because we have a long tradition of vocational training. We are one of the leading apprenticeship companies in the Swiss machine industry and have trained over 1,300 apprentices since the start of vocational training.
It is very important to us vocational trainers – I accompany the automation technicians at Muller Martini through their four-year apprenticeship – that the young people choose a job that suits their strengths and abilities. This increases the chances that they will be motivated to learn, complete their apprenticeship successfully and also enjoy their training period. To ensure that the person, the job and the company are a good match, we invited people to insightday in Zofingen for the second time at the beginning of May. For this special career information event, we joined forces with four other companies in the industrial area at our main site. In this way, we make it possible for interested young people to get a taste of 15 professions in a very simple and uncomplicated way.
400 people informed themselves
At Muller Martini itself, we offer apprenticeships in the following professions: commercial clerk EFZ, care specialist EFZ, automation technician EFZ, design engineer EFZ, polymechanic EFZ, EFZ maintenance specialist and EFZ logistics specialist. This unique offer was taken up by 400 people last week, making insightday a complete success for Muller Martini. Just a few days later, we received the first applications for trial apprenticeships and training positions.
It is very important that young people first get to know our company and get a feel for our industry. At that age, it is certainly not clear to many of them what the statement "Muller Martini is the market leader for finishing systems" actually means. That's why we attach great importance to them first experiencing our machines live. This year, all visitors enjoyed a demonstration on the Vareo PRO perfect binder, which produces softcover books in combination with the InfiniTrim trimming robot at our Print Finishing Center in Zofingen. The smooth technical process and the speed of production always impress the young people (and also their parents) very much and thus trigger a fascination first.
What does an automation engineer do anyway?
Even of our technical apprenticeships, not every 14-year-old probably has a concrete idea. They have a pretty clear idea of what a baker or carpenter does. But what tasks an automation engineer or a design engineer will encounter after his training is rather unknown. That's why we presented the actual workplaces at insightday, where practical tasks could also be solved. Apprentices gave personal information about their daily training and also the vocational trainers answered many questions about contents and tasks. There was no shortage of fun, as the entertaining parcour races with the cleaning machine at the post of maintenance specialist showed.
Personal professional field profile
I received a lot of positive feedback about this unique information offer during insightday. Parents thought it was great that their children were able to find out about the individual professions in such a detailed and yet compact way. The information tent operated by our partner gateway.one, in which the young people could carry out a personal career choice analysis, was also appreciated. Based on personal interests and strengths, a scientifically sound occupational field profile was created, which provides ideas for further career choices.
Permeable education system
To ensure that we can continue to develop and build first-class machines in the future, we depend on qualified specialists. That's why we focus on a high level of motivation among young people as early as the selection process for our apprentices. Basic vocational training at our company is very practice-oriented. Based on the so-called dual system, training takes place both at vocational school and at the learning company. Around two thirds of young people in Switzerland choose this path.
Thanks to the direct link to the world of work, Switzerland has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates compared to other countries thanks to this model. Another advantage is that vocational training in Switzerland is very permeable and versatile. If an apprentice spends an additional day a week at school, he or she can, for example, complete the vocational baccalaureate (Fachabitur) during the apprenticeship and thus qualify for further studies at a university of applied sciences. In addition, that's just one example of how an apprenticeship diploma can help you develop professionally at any time.
A first "sniff"
The insightday cannot only show all these possibilities. Above all, young people benefit from getting to know their potential apprenticeship company "from the inside", asking very specific questions, soaking up the atmosphere and coming into contact with learners and supervisors.
The large number of visitors confirms our intention to invite you to insightday again next year – find more information at
insightday.ch (only in German). Maybe we will see each other then! I would be delighted!
Yours,
Janick Suter
Vocational Trainer for Automation at Muller Martini
PS: If you have any questions about trial apprenticeships or vocational training at Muller Martini, take a look at our careers page at future.mullermartini.com (only in German). (Link)