Düsseldorf/Lohr, March 31, 2016. Glass manufacturing is a 24/7 business because you can’t just switch off the furnaces. Gerresheimer is famous the whole world over for the quality of its pharmaceutical glass packaging products. In the more than 125 years since it was founded, it has been a tradition at Gerresheimer Lohr to train young apprentices in the glass manufacturing trade. An important part of this training has always been knowledge sharing between the experienced employees, who have learned their occupations from scratch, and the young trainees. Gerresheimer Lohr has also been providing a combined bachelor of engineering and apprenticeship in mechanical engineering for a number of years now.
“The good thing about this ‘sandwich’ degree is that the students learn about their subject in both theory and practice. That’s a major advantage in any engineering profession,” said Maximilian Fietz, who’s almost completed his program. The students also need good arithmetic skills and dexterity to enjoy the program, and they have to be fully committed to the ‘vocational training’ experience.
During the practical phase of his program, Maximilian Fietz spent time in all the technical and commercial departments that are relevant for his subject at Gerresheimer. Not only did he gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter, he also learned about the processes and technologies that are used to manufacture glass packaging products. Gerresheimer believes that the development of soft skills is another very important aspect of any training program, so Maximilian Fietz was assigned to project tasks as encouragement to work independently.
The benefits of a combined degree and apprenticeship program are that the students have the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice. They can also go on a foreign work placement as part of the practical phase of the program. Once they graduate, the transition to employment is seamless thanks to the excellent work experience they gain during the program.
There are currently 25 apprentices at Lohr in eight different recognized occupations. In 2016 the company is offering two more B.Eng. sandwich degree courses in mechanical engineering.
Young apprentices at Gerresheimer are assigned to a wide range of interesting tasks, they are given plenty of scope for personal development and they work in an international environment. Their satisfaction with the training programs is reflected in the fact that almost 100% of them accept jobs at Gerresheimer when they graduate.
About Gerresheimer
Gerresheimer is a leading global partner to the pharma and healthcare industries. The company’s special glass and plastic products contribute to health and well-being. Gerresheimer is a global organization with 11,000 employees and manufacturing operations in the local markets, close to customers. It has over 40 production facilities in Europe, North and South America and Asia generating revenue in excess of EUR 1.3 billion. The comprehensive product portfolio includes pharmaceutical packaging products as well as convenient and safe drug delivery systems such as insulin pens, inhalers, pre-fillable syringes, vials, ampoules, bottles and containers for liquid and solid pharmaceuticals with closure and safety systems, plus cosmetic packaging products.
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Marion Stolzenwald
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