208 young people have made the decision to come to EDAG (EDAG Engineering GmbH) and subsidiary EDAG Production Solutions GmbH & Co. KG to embark on their dream jobs and lay the foundations for their future careers. EDAG offers applicants a choice of over 60 different apprenticeships and study courses covering all aspects of the development of vehicles and production plants, as well as in the fields of IT and administration.
EDAG CEO Jörg Ohlsen was there to personally welcome the 79 new apprentices and work-study students starting at the Fulda office on their first day, and to officially inaugurate EDAG's new education and training centre.
This 43rd intake of new apprentices by the engineering specialists is confirmation of the fact that in-house training continues to be the mainstay of EDAG's junior staff development. "At EDAG, training is not a new fad, brought on by the current shortage of skilled labour and new recruits," stressed Alexandra Dantmann, EDAG's Head of HR. "Over the last four decades, we have expanded and optimised our training system. Today, we profit from this work. Our apprentices and dual system students regularly achieve outstanding results in their final examinations, or receive national and regional championship awards in their selected professions."
EDAG apprentice Mirko Betz, for instance, recently achieved the best results in the examinations for his trade "body maintenance mechatronic technician" held by the Chamber of Commerce in the Osthessen region. And two apprentices from the Ingolstadt branch were also this month awarded the Bavarian State Prize for their excellent exam results in the "Technical Product Designer" apprenticeship programme.
Since 1973, EDAG has helped more than 2,300 young people take their first steps towards jobs of their choice. Once again, the company has a nationwide apprentice and trainee quota of over 8 percent.
"We are pleased that you have decided to do your apprenticeships with us. We will see you through the first stages of your entry into the world of engineering over the next few years, challenging, but of course, also supporting you all the way. One thing I can assure you: once you have successfully completed your apprenticeship or dual study course, we will be able to offer you exciting, future-proof career opportunities, both at home and abroad," declared Jörg Ohlsen, CEO of EDAG Engineering GmbH during his welcome speech.
To create ideal conditions for education and training, EDAG has recently invested around € 500,000 in a new education and training centre. A former industrial building in the direct vicinity of EDAG's Fulda branch has been completely converted over the last few months. Since August, the building now boasts six modern classrooms for training activities, with a total area of some 1,200 m². This means that there is space for schooling up to 100 people at any one time. Four further meeting rooms for individual training sessions and performance reviews complete the facilities provided by the new EDAG education and training centre.
"We know that EDAG's success is only possible if we have highly qualified and motivated staff, hence our willingness to invest in this "learning factory," explained Jörg Ohlsen.
These rooms provide the best possible learning environment not only for our apprentices, but also for the rest of the workforce, who are offered a continual and extensive programme of training opportunities," added Alexandra Dantmann.
In the last year alone, the company invested over € 3 million nationwide in education and training, and carried out over 15,000 days' training.
In addition, the company is also actively involved in health management, work-life balance and the advancement of women in the workplace, and has just recently established a mentoring programme aimed at introducing potential young managers to managerial tasks and solution strategies.