SPANGLER honoured for globetrotter with courage

19.10.2018 SPANGLER honoured for globetrotter with courage

Trainees should also go abroad –SPANGLER honoured for globetrotter with courage

SPANGLER receives the reward for entrepreneurs “Training without borders“ in front of top-class audience at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Berlin

Dietfurt/Töging, 18 October 2018 – An internship in a foreign country for trainees. What is common practice for young academics is still an exception for industrial and commercial apprenticeships. This is not the case with SPANGLER GMBH in Töging: All trainees get the opportunity to stay four weeks abroad as of the age of 18. “We have been looking for a partner for a long time in order to make this exchange possible. It is interesting that we found this partner with the IHK-Projektgesellschaft mbH Ostbrandenburg (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) which is a little journey itself away from us“, smiles Managing Director Hannelore Spangler.

Enhancing the dual training

The strong commitment of the producer of automation technology has led to the award by the federal programme “Training without borders“. Managing Director Hannelore Spangler and training manager Teresa Wittmann received the award on 17 October from Dr. Eric Schweitzer, President of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Berlin.

The ministry initiated the programme in order to make the model of the dual training even more attractive for young people and to support the readiness for mobility. At the same time it is about establishing a mobility culture at medium-sized companies in order to successfully cope with the social and economic-political issues internationalisation and skills shortages.

Foreign countries as part of the apprenticeship

In all 62 enterprises applied for this award. Hannelore Spangler is satisfied that her company is one of the ten chosen awardees: “In our company the internship abroad has already been part of the training for nine years. I am really surprised that we are still an exception here.“ Because of the fact that SPANGLER operates internationally, the management of the company considers it as a duty to support their junior employees also as regards language and culture. “The first step abroad is always the hardest. This is the reason why the programme starts with a week of language course in a school, afterwards the trainees work for three weeks in a co-operating enterprise“.

Getting in touch with the world

Besides the purely professional competences the trainees also have the opportunity to meet young people from other cultures. “Contacts from Ireland, Spain, Italy, Finland or other parts of the world enrich their perspective strongly“, describes training manager Teresa Wittmann as another advantage of this internship. The young globetrotters stay with guest parents in private houses and talk both in private and in business exclusively in English. Furthermore, common leisure activities and trips in the surroundings are part of the programme.

Supporting systematically

What sounds so easy is quite a challenge for many trainees at the beginning: “Often it is their first trip abroad and their first flight unaccompanied; anyway, everybody up to now has been nervous when they – for the first time – travel alone“, Teresa Wittmann sums up and adds: „However, when returning all trainees were enthusiastic about their experience“. From the company’s point of view a complete public financial funding would be the next logic step in order to make such activities more popular and to anchor it deeper than before.

Brexit causes concerns

Despite current success reports the future of the stay in Ireland is not guaranteed: “In case we have to face a Brexit without an agreement, the language school won’t be part of the EU anymore. But no matter in which direction the political wind will blow, “, Hannelore Spangler concludes, „we stand by our programme and our trainees and try to enable an exchange also in case of a hard Brexit“.

 

The prize was awarded by Hans Peter Wollseifer, President of the German Confederation of Skilled Craft and Dr. Achim Dercks, Deputy Managing Director of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The prize was awarded by Hans Peter Wollseifer, President of the German Confederation of Skilled Craft and Dr. Achim Dercks, Deputy Managing Director of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The prize was awarded by Hans Peter Wollseifer, President of the German Confederation of Skilled Craft and Dr. Achim Dercks, Deputy Managing Director of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The prize was awarded by Hans Peter Wollseifer, President of the German Confederation of Skilled Craft and Dr. Achim Dercks, Deputy Managing Director of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Award winners of the German contest ‘Training without borders’

Award winners of the German contest ‘Training without borders’
Award winners of ‘Training without borders’ together with the German Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier
Award winners of ‘Training without borders’ together with the German Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening speech by the patron Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier
Opening speech by the patron Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


SPANGLER Automation employs around 140 people at its headquarters in Töging in the Altmühl valley and has been a reliable partner of the national and international mechanical and plant engineering for more than 35 years.

More than half of the plants produced are exported worldwide. The medium-sized family-run company plans and engineers plant automation, programs the control technology and manufactures switch and control systems for various sectors such as environmental technology, agricultural economy, building industry, food industry, automobile industry, raw materials industry as well as renewable energies.

Moreover, SPANGLER carries out the start-up and the after-sales service of the plants.


Press Release (340 mb)

The prize award ceremony (7.4mb)

The prize award ceremony in detail(7.4 mb)

Award winners of ‘Training without borders’(8 mb)

Award winners of ‘Training without borders’ together with the German Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier (7.3 mb)

Opening speech by the patron Federal Minister of Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier (8 mb)