Five trainees completed the final exam

Challenging, exciting, innovative and with prospects – that’s what young people expect of training and a career

Medebach. Security? Sure, that’s important in choosing any career. A good income? Definitely! However, it is no longer solely these two factors that young people base their decision on when choosing a vocational training. There are many other important factors! The potential trainees look carefully at the quality of their “apprenticeship.” They look at the selection of the employer, the workplace atmosphere as well as at exciting prospects for starting their career right after training. They want a challenging everyday work life, which demands creativity and expertise anew every day and at the same time does not neglect their private lives.
Nearly 3.5 years ago, that is precisely why Leon Ittermann, Benedikt Stahlschmidt, Henrik Schäfer (all precision mechanics) as well as Luca Kuhnhenne and Markus Klüppel (both electronics technicians for industrial engineering) chose to train at Paul Köster GmbH. They performed very practical work daily on specific customer projects, and were up close and personal with the latest technologies and standards in special machine construction. Now they have successfully completed their apprenticeship, are staying with the company and will start the next exciting phase right away as young professionals. “Here with us, the transition from training to everyday work as a journeyman is smooth. We do not have an apprentice workshop, so our young professional talent learns in everyday company operations and on real customer projects from the very first day. This makes our training very interesting and diverse. It prepares them perfectly for the next steps after the apprenticeship, for the first exciting years as a young professional,” says trainer Tobias Stahlschmidt.

Starting a career with excitement
Starting a career with excitement
(from left) Henrik Schäfer, Markus Klüppel, Leon Ittermann, Luca Kuhnhenne, Benedikt Stahlschmidt

Christopher Köster: "We want creative, pragmatic and responsible employees!”
Because this is then followed by the “finishing touches.” After all, the former trainees are far from being done, emphasizes Tobias Stahlschmidt. Now it is time to mature as a specialist, to take on more responsibility and to grow with new challenges. The two green precision mechanics Leon Ittermann and Benedikt Stahlschmidt, for example, are already working on assembly at Köster customers in Stuttgart and Kassel. Precision mechanics are all-rounders by trade and can work in all areas, from mechanical processing, to the assembly of modules, to the final commissioning of entire production lines, says the trainer. They are an important part of the teams that install special machines on site and get them ready for operation. "Whether assembling on site or working at our location in Medebach, after the training our young professionals gradually become experienced specialists. Competence and experience grow through working on the project daily and through working with the latest technologies. We want creative and responsible employees who actively engage in projects, making us better as a whole,” says CEO Christopher Köster as well. And the professional experience also sometimes takes one or two young professionals out into the world. “We love to hear when people say they want to gain experience in assembly while also getting to know other countries, people and societies in the process,” emphasizes Tobias Stahlschmidt, who had one of these experiences himself.
In any case, diverse and exciting prospects are available after the apprenticeship for the trainees in all career fields in which Paul Köster GmbH offers training. “Whether as an electronics technician or office assistant, at Köster we specifically promote the individual strengths and desires to specialize as part of the career. Those who choose to train with us can always look forward to a diverse and exciting professional career,” says CEO Christopher Köster.
Leon Ittermann, Benedikt Stahlschmidt, Henrik Schäfer as well as Luca Kuhnhenne and Markus Klüppel have successfully completed the first part of the path towards becoming a qualified specialist and are now looking forward to the next step working as a journeyman at their employer. Also because Paul Köster GmbH offers precisely the prospects that young people today expect from an employer.