My name is Maximilian Verwohlt and I am 20 years old. I started my apprenticeship as industrial clerk on 01st August 2016 at Hahnemühle.During the 2 ½ years of my apprenticeship, I will pass through every department in the company. In my first year I have vocational school Mondays and Tuesdays. During this time I have learnt the theoretical background to the hands-on manufacturing in the company.
During the 2 ½ years of my apprenticeship, I will pass through every department in the company. In my first year I have vocational school Mondays and Tuesdays. During this time I have learnt the theoretical background to the hands-on manufacturing in the company.
At the moment I am working in the Public Relations and Marketing Communications department. This division is the internal and external mouthpiece of the company. Here I have received great insight into the different communication tools that are used to promote a brand. I have learnt about the importance of social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which is one of the key responsibilities in this department. In addition to this, they also manage the Hahnemühle blog and website, which is where you can find out any information about our products.
Our blog informs our customers about current trends, contributions from artists, painting competitions and much more.
Hahnemühle is one of the oldest companies in Germany. It has been producing the highest quality paper since 1584 in Dassel, Germany. Because of our traditional way of paper making, we see ourselves as a craftsmanship enterprise rather than a factory. This may seem ‘old-fashioned’ but this craftsmanship is what makes Hahnemühle and its papers so unique and special.
Hahnemühle is built on three business sections; Traditional FineArt, Digital FineArt and Filtration. We supply artists and photographers with our digital and traditional papers and our filtration products are used in the lab and industry.
Hahnemühle offers the following Apprenticeship training opportunities:
- Industrial clerk (2 ½ or 3 years duration)
- Paper technologist (3 years duration)
- Plant and machine operator (2 years duration)
…but now, back to our trainees.
Now, we employ seven trainees. Three of our trainees work in production and the remaining four work in the administrative side of the company.
Tanita Melmer: Youth and trainee representative of Hahnemühle and former trainee as industrial clerk.
Tanita qualified after 2 ½ years. In addition to her apprenticeship as an industrial clerk, she has acquired the qualification as an “Europakauffrau”. Tanita now works in the filtration department, where she takes care of countries such as England, Ireland, France, Belgium and many other places. She loves the customer facing side of her job and the independency.
Her job description is very diverse. Tanita’s responsibilities start from customer purchasing, to complaint processing and finding various solutions. As you can see, Tanita has a lot to do in her working hours.
In the second year of her apprenticeship, she had the opportunity to go to England where she worked in our subsidiary for three weeks.
’It has been a great experience to work in a foreign country, this was my absolute highlight’ says Tanita.
Lukas Fuchs: Trainee as industrial clerk
Lukas is 20 years old and he’s in the second year of his apprenticeship. One of his goals is a good graduation. Lukas wants to progress within his job role and broaden his mind professionally and privately. He likes the principle of an Apprenticeship. The practical training schedule is perfectly tailored to the school curriculum, which makes learning and understanding the theoretical side of the job much easier.
Once a year the trainees of the industrial clerk attend the trade fair ‘CreativeWorld’ in Frankfurt, Germany, where Hahnemühle showcases its traditional paper range to dealers and distributors. As trainees we support the sales staff and help with customer interactions.
‘It is fun to meet new people from different cultures. Trade fairs are also a fantastic way to become more familiar with fellow colleagues who you haven’t worked with before’, he adds.
Tim Kasper: Apprentice as plant and machine operator
‘Skilled craftsmanship, coupled with physical work and technical understanding, makes a plant and machine operator ‘, Tim tells me.
The tasks are physical, but also intellectually challenging. When a new order comes in Tim has to set and start the machines. If an error occurs, he has to source the error and correct it. Due to our traditional production, a lot of processes are manual work. Therefore, a positive attitude and a good relationship with colleagues is essential.
Thirteen weeks of the year Tim visits a trainee center in Gernsbach named ‘the Papierzentrum’. This is a special vocational school for trainees who work in the paper industry.
In Gernsbach the theory is taught in block sessions, these block sessions can take three to eight weeks. The mix of trainees from different areas in Germany make it very exciting. Some classmates are trainees in big industries and some come from small companies. It’s really interesting talking to people from different companies, and hearing about their different working processes. Our paper technology trainees also visit ‘The Papierzentrum’ in Gernsbach for their theory sessions.
‘Paper production is always exciting and new, Papermakering is an old craftsmanship. Today papermakers call themselves paper technologists and are real specialists. Hahnemühle is looking forward to working with future young applicants in this occupation‘, says production manager and instructor Volker Scheerbarth.
Please find more information about open vacancies at Hahnemühle on our website.