Miller Magazine Issue: 120 December 2019

44 NEWS MILLER / DECEMBER 2019 The first months of his apprenticeship as a polymechanic are now a thing of the past – Mic- hael Dörig has successfully finished his period of probation. This makes him the 8000 th app- rentice to have been trained at Bühler Group over a 100-year history of vocational training. Around the globe, some 600 apprentices at 25 locations in four continents are currently undergoing their vocational training. 8000 th apprentice starts career with Bühler A total of 70 apprentices started their vocational trai- ning in Switzerland this August – 10 women and 60 men. Together, they have even now reached a milestone for Bühler in their as yet short professional careers. Along with them, a total of 8,013 young adults have undergone or are still undergoing their dual vocational training. Mi- chael Dörig, the 8000 th apprentice, has now also passed his period of probation in his vocation as a polymechanic. “The figure is impressive, it shows the great influence of vocational training at Bühler. It was lucky that I started as the 8000th and I’m happy about it.” In his daily work, however, the number plays no role. Michael Dörig is cur- rently concentrating on the first important exam. He has set clear targets for his further vocational training: “I want to perform well every year, and my goal for the fourth year is an assignment abroad. In the end, I want to finish the apprenticeship with good grades,” says Dörig. BÜHLER’S INSTRUMENT FOR WARDING OFF A LACK OF SKILLED LABOR Bühler is currently training some 600 apprentices at 25 locations. Apprentices do add value for the companies they work for, as the latest study (in German) by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) confirms. And not only that. Vocational training is one of the most important factors for the company for imparting knowledge within the organization as well as between generations. It enables the Group to proactively avert the looming shortage of skilled labor. “Vocational training is a long-term strategy for us that we apply in a targeted manner,” says Andreas Bischof, Head of Apprenticeship at Bühler. He adds that when a potential lack of speciali- zed labor appears, for example as a result of retirements, Bühler can apply its global know-how in the field of voca- tional training to close such gaps. This has resulted in the institution of vocational training programs by Bühler, for instance, in the United States, for which the company has obtained governmental approval. “This guarantees access to and mobility within the labor market,” explains Bischof. In order to retain these careful- ly educated young people after they have completed their vocational training, Bühler offers them individual support in planning their careers starting in the second half of the- ir apprenticeships. The value of this effort is borne out by the fact that, for example, 29 percent of all Swiss emplo- 70 Swiss apprentices have started their career at Bühler Group this year. Michael Dörig Stefan Scheiber