Teaching with purpose

Sustainable and crisis-proof apprenticeships with ÖBB

(Bild: krone.tv)

Finding the right apprenticeship at a young age is not easy. Apprenticeships should be crisis-proof, sustainable and offer added value. At Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), young people can start their career in one of the most future-proof industries.

ÖBB is not only one of the top employers in the country, but also offers an incredible 26 different apprenticeships. From training as an electrical technician to office clerk and operational logistics specialist, ÖBB has taken on no fewer than 650 new apprentices this year - as Ursula Bazant, Head of Training and Further Education at ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, reports.

ÖBB is currently training 2,200 young people in a wide range of professions. This makes ÖBB the largest technical apprentice trainer in Austria. The importance of training and promoting its own junior staff has a long tradition at ÖBB. ÖBB also wants to train at least 600 new apprentices next year and thus invest in the future.

Ursula Bazant in an interview with krone.tv

(Bild: krone.tv)

Wide range of apprenticeships
In addition to traditional (technical) apprenticeships such as electrical engineer, freight forwarding clerk and office clerk, ÖBB has also been offering apprenticeships in the digital sector for several years. This includes apprenticeships such as application developer or mechatronics technician. Jobs with a sustainable background are now also an integral part of ÖBB's training strategy, such as refrigeration technician. Another new addition this year is training to become a real estate agent. In this way, the Austrian Federal Railways want to train and promote the next generation of employees themselves.

This is what the apprenticeship looks like
The apprenticeship period at ÖBB depends on the chosen apprenticeship and is between 3 and 4 years and meets the most modern requirements. During their training, apprentices work a lot with 3D printing techniques, virtual training opportunities such as virtual reality and augmented reality, and have the opportunity to compete with other apprentices in professional competitions. In addition to the content on offer, ÖBB also offers a good apprentice salary and free travel on ÖBB trains throughout Austria. ÖBB also rewards good performance by its apprentices in the form of bonus payments for successful completion of vocational school.

(Bild: ÖBB)

In addition to the theoretical basics taught in the training workshops, practical assignments are also an essential part of the training. After successfully passing the final apprenticeship examination, the young employees have a career path at ÖBB open to them. In addition to the strong promotion of apprenticeships and school-leaving exams, they are also given professional support to pave their own path of interest within ÖBB. The fact that 75-80 percent of all apprentices remain with ÖBB after completing their apprenticeship shows that ÖBB takes the promotion of young people seriously.

Women in power
Currently, 21 percent of all apprentices at ÖBB are female, which is a very good figure given the fact that ÖBB is a company with a strong technical focus, says Ursula Bazant. However, ÖBB also wants to continue to encourage young women to be given more space in training for technical professions. A lot of work is also being done with schools and associations to get new female apprentices interested in technical training.

(Bild: ÖBB)

What new apprentices bring with them
The most important thing that future apprentices should bring with them for their training is the motivation to familiarize themselves with new areas and learn new things. A great deal of prior knowledge is not required at the beginning of the apprenticeship, as the Head of Training and Further Education at ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG explains: "That's why you do an apprenticeship, to learn something". After applying, applicants can expect a short online entrance test, followed by a personal interview on site.

Apply now
The application phase for the next apprenticeship year has already begun at ÖBB. Ursula Bazant is therefore already calling on interested apprentices to apply as soon as possible at lehre.oebb.at.