Learn, roll up your sleeves and hit the ground running: Apprenticeships at Wienerberger

How do I reprogram our kilns and when do we have to service them? Which product information should I update in the online shop? And what are we going to put in our next newsletter? These are just some of the very different questions that keep apprentices Stefan Ableidinger and Stefanie Fritsch on their toes. Stefan, aged 22, is a mechatronics apprentice with a specialization in automation technology at Wienerberger Austria. His colleague Stefanie is doing an apprenticeship in e-commerce at Pipelife Austria.

It is so quiet you can hear a pin drop: the approximately 60 members of staff at the Hennersdorf production plant in Lower Austria are listening intently to their fire safety officer. Stefan Ableidinger is explaining exactly what needs to be done in an emergency and how to prevent a fire from breaking out in the first place. The young apprentice feels honored by his appointment as a fire safety officer just three months after having joined Wienerberger Austria: “As I had already helped out with fire safety, I was nominated for the vacant position. This trust means a great deal to me.”

When it comes to machinery, the budding mechatronics technician is in his element. His main duties include machine maintenance, servicing and repairs. Stefan began his mechatronics apprenticeship with a specialization in automation technology in 2021. “Mechatronics combines mechanics, electronics and information technology. With such a broad knowledge base we are able to provide an extensive range of solutions. This is why I believe my profession is of such significance for how we will live and work in the future,” the enthusiastic trainee reveals.

Stefan Ableidinger found his way to Wienerberger in a roundabout way. After a couple of years at grammar school followed by a higher technical college, he wanted to do something that was more hands-on: So, after training as a gardener and completing his compulsory military service, he began working as a gardener in his family’s market garden in Vienna. He also served as the district and regional chairman of the Vienna young gardeners association. Today, this has several advantages: quite apart from a shorter apprenticeship, the travel enthusiast from Vienna also has plenty of life experience he can contribute to the team.

Stefanie Fritsch opened a new chapter in her life in May 2022 when she began her apprenticeship at Pipelife Austria. The young woman from Lower Austria is learning all about e-commerce in the six-strong Marketing Department at headquarters in Vienna. “As well as looking after our online shops, I create social media content and newsletters, liaise with other staff and support the team,” the 16-year-old explains. In the course of her apprenticeship, she will add customer care to her repertoire and gain insights into other departments.

With the exception of a few tasks that have to be performed regularly, no two days at work are the same. “I simply couldn’t imagine doing the same thing all the time,” Stefanie says. At vocational school it’s the work-related subjects she enjoys most: “The e-commerce apprenticeship is a very new scheme in Austria. There aren’t even any textbooks yet. But the course content – for example, the basic principles of advertising psychology – are utterly fascinating.”

Stefanie is proud that she opted for an apprenticeship. “Of course, I could have just stayed on at school. But I thought it over very carefully and then took the plunge. For me, it was the right decision,” the sports enthusiast explains. “Since starting my apprenticeship I have become much more outgoing. I also have much more confidence in other areas of my life,” she reveals. An added benefit: With the knowledge she has gained, she is now also able to help her friends and family – for example, with her marketing expertise and ideas for graphic design.

The two apprentices are popular members of their teams. They both appreciate the friendly and supportive working relationships and the opportunities they have to get to know different areas of the Wienerberger Group, with schemes to encourage people to gain international work experience and opportunities to visit other plants. “The first time I met my future colleagues, we talked to one another as if we had been working together for 20 years,” Stefan recalls.

Both trainees have ambitious plans and are aiming to complete their apprenticeship in combination with Matura (the Austrian high school diploma). And who knows what awaits them after that: “Going to university at a later date is certainly something I would consider,” says Stefan Ableidinger. In future, he can well imagine holding a management position or a job in the Engineering Team at Wienerberger Austria. Stefanie Fritsch would also like to stay with the company after completing her apprenticeship.