The skills shortages affect not only professions such as teachers, educators or nursing staff. Also mechatronics technicians or industrial mechanics are desperately needed. In order to achieve a trend reversal in the lack of specialists, companies need to create much more attractive and up-to-date apprenticeship programs. The training team at PM DM has been promoting demand- and practice-oriented training offers as well as periods abroad in England, Spain or Italy for a long time. But what is just as important, however: The encouragement in the matters of self-initiative and self-reliant, autonomous action. These skills should be supported and developed from the very beginning of each apprenticeship.
Now the project “Apprentices’ Parents’ Evening” had been established at PM DM. The junior specialists were given the opportunity to organize an information evening for parents, relatives and friends. In teamwork, the trainees and students defined the content and items on the agenda, planned the smooth running of the event and, of course, took care of the necessary equipment. The targets set were to present a typical day in the life of an apprentice as well as the products, which are developed on site, and to give an overview of the corporate structures of the mother company MinebeaMitsumi. What was quite clear from the start: The expectations of the trainers were exceeded by far. After some intense weeks of preparations, on November 15, 2018, a total of 54 participants found their way to the motor development centre in Villingen-Schwenningen. Not only the parents were eager to see what their kids’ days look like, but also siblings, friends and grandparents participated in the information evening.
There was not only a champagne reception, but also a slide show, several lectures about the company, presentations about the products and short video clips, which showed the newly opened factory in Kosice and a typical day in the life of an apprentice, for example. After the theoretical part of the evening, the participants were divided into groups to explore the company. At eight different stations, the trainees gave talks about their jobs and the company key facts. Even a buffet awaited the participants after their company tours. HR Manager Markus Wethkamp and Training Manager Julia Preiß were more than satisfied with the result. “We are extremely proud of what our apprentices and students have achieved. Their team abilities were definitely convincing, they are just great”, said Julia Preiß.
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