Heading for future careers as diverse as a specialist in the circular economy, commercial assistant and automation electronics technician, 16 young people started their vocational training at Progroup in August.
As in earlier years, this family company invited all the trainees to the Landau Group Office for an introduction to the Group. They travelled from Burg, Eisenhüttenstadt, Sandersdorf-Brehna, Offenbach an der Queich and Landau itself, as Progroup’s training programmes cover all its German factories. To get the new entrants off to a good start, their programme contained a very varied mix of workshops, information sessions on the company and team-building activities, a tour of the corrugated sheet feeder plant in Offenbach an der Queich, “speed dating” with the previous year’s trainees and even an introduction to “business dos and don’ts in which the newcomers received tips on the right way to communicate in a business environment. An introduction to the Group’s corporate culture was also on the agenda. “Our corporate values guide all our activities and decisions. It is therefore important to us as a family company that all our employees are not only familiar with our values, but that they also identify with them,” explained Maximilian Heindl, CEO of Progroup.
“The start of our working life is something special for everyone, and we were therefore all excited on Day 1. But we soon settled down during the introductory week” was how Sergej Mauch, the prospective circular economy specialist at the Eisenhüttenstadt site, summarised the situation. “We received a warm welcome and learned a lot about the company thanks to the varied content of the programme, and we also grew together as a group. One of the highlights for me was the opportunity to meet the senior management of the company and put all kinds of questions without feeling we had to hold back.”
The right sort of training and support
As a family company, Progroup attaches a great deal of importance to training the next generation. For this manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated board sheets, this includes not only offering attractive apprenticeships and training programmes with good prospects at the end of them, but also the right sort of induction programme.
“We want our youngsters to feel assimilated, well looked-after and part of the company family right from the start,” stated Heindl. “We therefore invest a lot of time in our trainees. In addition to the introductory week, Progroup offers a range of on-line training course to support the trainees’ individual interests. These courses include training in Microsoft programs, courses on how to prepare for tests and examinations as well as support during project work. Regular “get-togethers” are also organised so that the trainees can meet and exchange their ideas and impressions.
Employer with a future
Trainees who completed their training in 2023 once again demonstrate that the effort the company puts into its training programmes benefits both the company and the trainee. Many of the former trainees and dual study students were placed in full-time employment by Progroup
“This year, as in previous years, we are happy that many of the trainees successfully completed their courses – and we are happier still that most of them start their careers as fully qualified specialist staff with us,” declared Heindl. Because of the company’s own campus of outstanding opportunities for further education and training as well as ultra-modern sites and high-tech workplaces, they in turn gain by staying with Progroup. “And for the long-term”, he added. “As all the signs are pointing to future growth for us.”
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