Mercer Stendal starts its own training workshop

July 31 typically marks the start of the new training year at Mercer Stendal but, for 2023, it also marks a new approach to training. In recent months, the company has set up its own training workshop, teaching apprentices practical skills and abilities for a real working environment. By directly applying theoretical knowledge, the trainees consolidate their skills to gain practical experience.

Mercer Stendal’s two trainers, Michael Buhe and Ronny Kamer, brainstormed the structural and content-related design of the training workshop. In coordination with all areas of the mill, their ideas were implemented in the best possible way. Bright and modern, the mobile workshop is equipped with four PC workstations, a workbench, an electrical engineering workstation, and a laboratory table. With this set-up, learning new skills is meant to be a breeze. Thanks to the space, teaching hydraulics and pneumatics will eventually take place in the future. 

We want to promote the learning process and enable trainees to develop their skills in a targeted manner.

“Our trainees are supervised and guided by experienced trainers. They are on hand to answer questions and with problem-solving, giving individual support as needed. In this way, we want to promote the learning process and enable trainees to develop their skills in a targeted manner,” explains Lars Lewi, Mercer Stendal’s Training Coordinator.

He explains, “In the training workshop, our apprentices will often work in teams. This teaches them to develop communication skills and practice conflict resolution. They learn that work can only be done together and that everyone needs each other to get to the end goal. These social skills are important both professionally and personally.”

This versatile learning environment is designed to give apprentices the chance to prepare for the demands of later working life. All production and engineering trainees will gain the knowledge of their first year of training at the mill’s workshop facility and at their vocational school. In their following years of training, they will become more involved in the technical and production areas, expanding their growing knowledge.