Even during his time at school, Johannes Meier knew that he wanted to complete an apprenticeship at Pfleiderer. Although he completed a work experience placement in the industrial mechanics division, which he did enjoy, it was when he spent a day with the electronics engineers that he knew: “This is it! This is what I want to be doing!” Text: Tanja Dolic Photo: Jugend forscht
The 18-year-old is now already in his third year of an apprenticeship to become an electronics technician for industrial engineering. The apprenticeship teaches a great deal of material, including control technology, instrument engineering, learning automation processes ad key aspects of physics. All this learning is a good thing because, as the apprentice explains, “Without knowledge, there is no practical benefit. It also means I am well equipped to keep learning new things in each area.” He particularly likes the way that he can gain a great deal of practical experience at the company. He is also given support for projects that fall outside the scope of his apprenticeship.
If any apprentices are interested in the youth research competition ‘Jugend forscht’, Pfleiderer provides them with time and resources so that they can prepare. “The project was recommended by the apprenticeship coordinator and I already had an idea for it, so I was keen to take part. The idea came to me when I was working in the forest with my father. When sawing trees you have always needed to measure before you can start sawing. I wondered if it was possible to simplify things,” Meier explains. On 18 February 2016, after three months of planning and construction, he was already able to present his solution: the ‘Measure Saw’. The solution makes it possible for sections of tree trunk to be measured and sawn at the same time, which entirely removes one step from the workflow. The talented youngster was able to win over the judges at the regional and federal stages of the competition. He went on to win second place in the national competition in May 2016.
The autumn of 2017 will see Johannes Meier entering the final phase of his three-and-a-half-year apprenticeship. The company will give him a task that he needs to complete. “That will take half a year and then I will receive the apprenticeship diploma. I am already really looking forward to this intensive, practical phase,” he says.
Apprenticeships and work-study degrees at Pfleiderer Pfleiderer offers apprenticeships for 19 different vocations. Nine of these are technical, nine are commercial and five are degree courses. There are currently 192 apprentices and students working at the company.
