By trainees for trainees – the Trainee Days 2023
What's on the agenda when it comes to team building, shared experiences, new knowledge and lots of fun for our young talents? The RAMPF Trainee Days, of course! After a three-year break due to the pandemic, it was finally time again this year. From April 13 to 14, 2023, the RAMPF apprentices from Grafenberg, Wangen and Zimmern ob Rottweil spent two eventful days in Grafenberg and the surrounding area together with their trainers.
Christoph Bosch is in the first year of his apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at RAMPF Polymer Solutions and knows first hand: Young talents are not only encouraged at RAMPF, but also challenged! This year, he took the lead in planning, organizing, and implementing the Trainee Days and was thus responsible for the content and the supporting program of the two-day event.
Continuing tradition
The event, which has been taking place for many years, has become a real tradition at RAMPF and takes place every year alternately at one of the German locations of the RAMPF Group. Actually, it would have been Grafenberg's turn to organize and carry out the Trainee Days in 2020. Since the event had to be cancelled in the last three years due to COVID-19, the project could only be implemented now.
The focus of the trainee days is on getting to know each other and the exchange of experiences among the trainees, as well as the opportunity to gain insights into the RAMPF sister companies. The great added value of the event is obvious for Christoph:
In training, you often only have to deal with the trainees of your own training profession, however, it is also important to get to know each other and exchange ideas across professions and locations, since we are all part of the RAMPF Group. In addition to the exchange, which is super important, you also learn what the other areas do and have contacts that you already know, should there be questions or common activities in an area in the future.
Event planning as an independent trainee project
There is a lot to consider when organizing a multi-day event for more than thirty people. The tasks range from researching possible activities for such a large group, planning and designing the program, obtaining and comparing quotes, costing and approval, final booking, designing invitations and information for trainees and instructors, to running the event as well as follow-up, checking invoices, etc. Christoph was not deterred by the huge amount of work involved and accepted the challenge.
In the beginning, I was actually a bit overwhelmed because the planning was completely in my hands. The biggest challenge was to handle the responsibility appropriately and to use the opportunity to prove my strengths. On the other hand, it was also the most fun, because it was really interesting to set up such an event on my own and to get the confidence to plan everything myself.
With the support of trainer Kai Augustin and the other trainees, he mastered the task with flying colors and put together an informative event with an exciting supporting program.
A varied program
After a welcome and introduction round in Grafenberg, the apprentices of RAMPF Polymer Solutions and RAMPF Tooling Solutions presented the two Grafenberg core competencies to the guest apprentices from Zimmern and Wangen, followed by a guided tour through the company. After a joint lunch in the Genusslabor, instructors and trainees enjoyed themselves on the go-kart track.
In the afternoon, they went to the youth hostel in beautiful Tübingen for the night. With food, fun and games, the group ended the eventful first day with a sociable evening program. The next morning, Tübingen was explored – first on foot, then on water during a leisurely punting trip on the Neckar River. Following lunch at Neckarmüller, it was time for a final exchange, followed by farewells and the journey home.
Success does not fail to materialize
After the successful two days, the joy was great – not only for everyone involved, but also for Christoph himself:
To be honest, on Friday afternoon when it was all over, I was very relieved that the planning had gone so smoothly. Without the support of the trainees from the Grafenberg site and my trainer Kai, it probably wouldn't have been so easy. Many thanks to everyone who gave me such great support and to RAMPF for the trust and the opportunity to organize the trainee days 2023.
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