A total of 70 apprentices started their training in Switzerland in 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 8013 young adults have undergone or are still undergoing their dual vocational training.

Bühler is currently training some 600 apprentices at 25 locations. Vocational training is one of the most important factors for the company for imparting knowledge within the organisation as well as between generations. It enables the Group to avert the looming shortage of skilled labour. “Vocational training is a long-term strategy for us that we apply in a targeted manner,” said Andreas Bischof, head of apprenticeship at Bühler. He added that when a potential lack of specialised labour appears, for example as a result of retirements, Bühler can apply its global know-how in the field of vocational training to close such gaps.

In order to counter the lack of skilled labour in the first place, Bühler lets interested school-leavers know that the company offers more than just pure training in one single vocation. The company prepares the young people for the labour market by fostering all-rounder skills. For example, apprentices pass through various departments which have a different focus. In the future, digitalisation will be integrated even more into education, alongside the development of social skills, creativity, exchange, and diversity. Some of the young adults may undergo training in project management or do a stint abroad – be it China, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, South Africa, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, or the United States. Since the introduction of these periods of training abroad 12 years ago, as many as 200 apprentices have already spent several months of their vocational training at a Bühler location outside Switzerland. The benefits of this approach are obvious: apprentices gain a first-hand experience of different cultures and languages; they enhance their professional and social skills, broaden their minds, and become fit for a job in the international labour environment that Bühler offers.

Stefan Scheiber, CEO of Bühler Group, stresses the importance of international mobility and sound, varied basic training for the organisation: “Training and continuing education enable Bühler to renew itself permanently. We place our trust in our apprentices at an early stage, but we also demand a lot from them. We unlock the international world of labour for them, because we want them to continue to work for us later on – as open-minded and innovative employees skilled in a wide range of tasks, and either in Switzerland or anywhere else in the world.” www.buhlergroup.com

 

70 Swiss apprentices started their career at Bühler Group in 2019; since 1915 a total of 8013 young adults have undergone – or are still undergoing – their dual vocational training

 

Michael Dörig, pictured (right) with his vocational trainer Patrick Bolt, is the 8000th apprentice at Bühler

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