Induction weekfor apprentices and students

It was a bit strange for most of us to enter a large conference room being watched by 26 other sets of excited eyes while the new line managers Ms Julia Kolem and Ms Jasmin Nürnberger from HR started to introduce themselves and announce the plans for the coming week. After a short round of introductions, we were able to make a mental note of one or two names and didn’t feel quite as new any more.

Once all the formalities about starting an apprenticeship had been addressed, we were able to explore our new workplace. We were given a few apprentices and students to guide us who had already been working at the company a bit longer. We were able to walk through all the departments that the Ispringen site has to offer while several staff members even took the time to explain to us what actually happens at this magical place. Afterwards, Mr. Andreas Mangler told us and lots of other “newcomers” some interesting facts about Rutronik’s company history and philosophy which on the whole gave us a good overview of the work here. At the end of our first day we were given additional insight into the business model for components distribution.

On our induction week’s second day we were able to take a look at the logistics center in Eisingen, having already got to know the headquarter quite a bit. A talk with impressive facts and figures made us very curious about how the work is actually done in a warehouse. All the work processes that take place here made a really huge impression on all of us, even though most of us probably need a bit of time to completely understand everything. In the next step we were informed about which college we had to go to the following Monday. We were given plans that described which departments we were going to work through at Rutronik and we were informed about all our tasks and duties for the next few years. So that we didn’t feel quite so alone with our questions that were now piling up, we were allowed to meet our new apprenticeship mentors. They have already completed an apprenticeship or dual study program at Rutronik and were therefore able to allay any possible fears, clear up any uncertainties and make us look forward to the next few years even more with their first-hand experiences.

Having completed quite a lot of the organizational issues and having got to know the business a bit, it was now time to develop our skills. The phrase “business etiquette” was used very often. We dealt with topics like: What am I allowed to wear to work? How do I conduct a successful phone call? How should I conduct myself during a meeting? And and and… Communication rules are the be all and end all which is why we learned how to have a successful conversation in several group work sessions and what’s best to say or what you shouldn’t say. Although Rutronik is a major trading company it is of course important not just to shine in commercial business but also to know what you want to sell to customers. To understand the whole product range and its concept, Mr. Rainer Hügin introduced us to electrotechnical fundamentals and key terms. As a result, we were able to refresh what we learned at college or pick up something new, if you happened to fall asleep in physics lessons now and again.

Our week was rounded off with a trip to Schloss Flehingen on Thursday and Friday. The topic on the agenda here was “team building”. During several group activities we got to know each other better, learned how to work best in a team and how important trust is in the process. We didn’t just see each other as work colleagues now but were able to make new friendships. In the evening we were able to chat in a cozy atmosphere and therefore also come into contact with one or two people who we had not had the chance to talk to yet. Whether it was over games with a balloon or wrapping up a gift together with our hands bound, we were all able to gain valuable experiences in teamwork and also reflect on the kind of role we are probably going to take in a team.

Finally, it’s just left to be said that we felt very well looked after during this induction week. All our questions were patiently answered and we really look forward to our time at Rutronik.