However, the collaboration is also beneficial from a business perspective. “Educational partnerships benefit both sides,” emphasises Silvia Geppert from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Ulm. Companies can establish contact with potential apprentices at an early stage and raise awareness of the opportunities available to them.
“We are delighted with the cooperation. It gives us the opportunity to support young people in finding the right career, while raising awareness of our training programmes,” says Wolfgang Weber, the company's managing director. The family-run business, which manufactures and distributes components for controlling machines and plants worldwide, currently offers seven apprenticeship programmes and four dual study programmes.
Attracting young talent has become more difficult for many companies. Schlegel, like many companies in the region, is therefore pursuing various strategies, such as attending apprentice fairs, forming educational partnerships, offering taster work placements, and sending apprenticeship ambassadors to talk about their day-to-day work in schools. According to Geppert, it is precisely this exchange “on equal terms” that is particularly effective.
For the Joseph-Christian comprehensive school, this is not the first collaboration of this kind. It already works with several other regional companies. Schlegel also has partnerships with two other schools.
