Freight Forwarder Offers Broad Spectrum of Logistics Apprenticeships to Maintain Standards

AUSTRIA – GERMANY – SWITZERLAND – Whilst elsewhere talk is of attracting more talent to the world of logistics, one company which promised it would maintain its policy of increasing staff levels is Austrian based Gebrüder Weiss (GW) which has just taken on 69 young men and women in the three countries as 2017 sees the Lauterach headquartered freight forwarder keep employing a consistently high number of new apprentices.

GW says it has focused on two pillars of learning for its apprentices: the acquisition of theoretical and practical expertise on the one hand, and the development of personal skills on the other. A large number of internal and external seminars, language courses, team-building activities and field trips provide the apprentices with extensive training and strengthen links beyond national borders. Great importance is also attached to social projects during the apprenticeship as Monika Mandl, Head of Human Resources Development East Region at Gebrüder Weiss, explains:

"In the context of our corporate values, we feel it is important to teach young people also about social responsibility. It is essential to be able to have access to well-qualified professionals, and it is equally important to provide the opportunity to experience our corporate culture and to develop commitment in our apprentices. As one of the best apprenticing companies in the country we have much to offer to young people.”

To ensure a steady supply of suitable trainees the company specifically provides information at apprentice fairs and presents its job profiles on social media channels such as Whatchado and Facebook, as well as on its own careers website, www.gw-world.com/greatjobs, to show young people the broad spectrum of apprenticeships on offer which include six separate categories, freight forwarding agents, logistics specialists, operations logistics specialists, IT technicians, office administrators and professional drivers.

Photo: These 22 new apprentices from Vorarlberg/Austria for part of the team of 69 taken on in the three countries.