“It is important to me that we make a difference together: Be it as an apprentice, as an experienced professional or as a manager,” says Sissy Sonnleitner. As HR Director Austria, she is responsible for Wienerberger Austria and Pipelife Austria. As well as providing vocational training for apprentices, the company also supports their personal development. The goal: to develop and nurture the next generation of skilled workers and managers. Examples from Austria, the United Kingdom and Ireland show how.

In 2022 there were around 130 apprentices working at the Wienerberger Group – and thus also at Pipelife Austria and Wienerberger Austria. The companies offer a wide range of apprenticeships in fields as diverse as electrical engineering and mechatronics, metal technology, plastics engineering and office-based professions. “We have also taken an important step forward with the new apprenticeship in e-commerce,” adds Daniela Schlaffer. As part of the HR Department at Wienerberger Austria and Pipelife Austria, she is the contact person for the young employees. “We are especially proud that we offer this specialization in our office in addition to the traditional areas like accounting and finance.”

In 2022 Wienerberger was awarded the ”Popular Training Company“ seal of quality by the Kronen Zeitung newspaper and IMWF Austria, a company specializing in communication analyses. The recipe for success? “We love our work and we’re proud of our apprentices. It’s important that everyone feels they are part of the team,” says Daniela Schlaffer. And Sissy Sonnleitner reveals: “Wienerberger has always understood that apprentices are our future. We will need skilled workers and managers in the future, too. And it’s a great feeling to be able to fill these positions from within the company.”

Apprentices are valued members of the team. “Our production plants usually have between 50 and 100 workers. And they all know their apprentices. These personal relationships are very special,” says Sissy Sonnleitner. With mentoring and feedforward (which replaces feedback with future-oriented solutions) in a safe space and the training plan, the junior employees are well prepared for their future roles. They can count on the support of other employees such as the apprentice coordinator, their team, their managers, the works council and the HR department.

During the three to four-year apprenticeship, instructors do all they can to make the material as interesting as possible. One example: “The plant in Hennersdorf schedules monthly meetings for apprentices. Between these sessions, the apprentices work independently on small projects that they present at the next event. That provides a fantastic opportunity to give praise and feedback,” Daniela Schlaffer notes. Other apprentices are invited to attend management meetings, to take part in field trips and networking events, or are already part of succession planning. When the opportunity arises, apprentices are also given the chance to gain insights into production at other Wienerberger sites.

The application process usually starts with a job advertisement. “Although we are always happy to receive unsolicited applications,” emphasizes Daniela Schlaffer. “Before a face-to-face interview, potential candidates are sometimes invited to take a short apprenticeship test in an assessment center. Afterwards, we like to invite them to a taster day.” In addition to the dual system of company-based training and part-time vocational schooling, Wienerberger also offers courses run by external providers as well as higher qualifications like apprenticeships in combination with Matura, the Austrian high school diploma.

Pipelife Austria is currently in the process of setting up a training workshop. “This is a big experimental lab, where our young talents can tinker around and gain hands-on experience with different types of machinery,” says Sissy Sonnleitner. Office staff on the other hand pass through several different departments during their training. This familiarizes them with organizational interrelationships and lets them discover which areas they enjoy most. “In recent years, almost all apprentices at Wienerberger Austria and Pipelife Austria have completed their programs successfully,“ Daniela Schlaffer says proudly.

“It feels good to support highly motivated young people. And this relationship doesn’t end when they complete their apprenticeships,” says Sissy Sonnleitner. “Most of them take up a full-time position with us, although others want to go out and see the world – as people and as a company, we are anchor points that they like to come back to.” In future, Wienerberger Austria wants to train apprentices across all its sites. Other country organizations have also set ambitious goals. Because: Apprentices are Wienerberger’s future.