Systematic training

"The most important thing for me is that we trainees here at GEALAN also communicate on an equal footing": Eric Hartenstein is currently entering his third year of training with us. So he has now completed about two-thirds of his way to becoming an IT specialist. "Even during the interview, I realized that I could be who I am here. It was much easier for me to get into the company and the team here than I did when I was studying." Eric Hartenstein had broken off this before joining GEALAN – it was simply too much theory for him. "In a company, I'm much closer to the practical problems, it's much more varied and I like it much better." In addition, he enjoys the possibility of flexitime, dividing his working hours in a way that suits the tasks at hand. 

In Tanna, about 30 kilometres away from the company's headquarters, Leon Köppel has just successfully completed his training as an industrial mechanic. "I've always had an affinity for technology, and I like to create something with my own hands," says the young man, describing why an apprenticeship in which you are trained in metalworking, turning, drilling, milling or welding, suited him so well.  

Further development at GEALAN even after training

Leon Köppel has remained loyal to GEALAN even after his training. His tasks are, as they were during his training, multi-layered, and he never gets bored. For Leon Köppel – and thus confirms the trainee colleagues from Oberkotzau – the training does not feel like a typical apprenticeship, because he confirms: "We get our inductions, but are then allowed to develop independently very quickly. This means that we are integrated into the tasks and work of our trained colleagues at an early stage." 

"If you get stuck, you can get help from your colleagues" 

In Oberkotzau, Eric Hartenstein is currently working on a server cabinet: "Here, I make sure that everything is wired correctly – so that the data arrives where it should go." During his training as an IT specialist, he was also taught the basics of his future profession. "In the meantime, I've been given more and more responsibility, for example, I'm introduced to the topic of network technology. Eric Hartenstein and Leon Köppel know in unison why GEALAN finds exactly the right balance with its trainees: "We are not clocked step by step, but are allowed to apply very independently what we have been taught most of the time. And if you get stuck, there's help from your colleagues."  

Elected Youth and Trainee Chairwoman

Her colleague Gina Sebrich is now also a permanent employee at GEALAN. She successfully completed her training in the summer and is now employed in internal sales. "During my apprenticeship, I was able to get to know many areas at GEALAN: I started in accounting, then in the marketing department, later in purchasing and finally in sales." For Gina Sebrich, this was a great opportunity to get to know the many different facets of administrative tasks – and to find out for herself what suits her or not: "In sales, I immediately noticed that it was a good fit for me. The atmosphere in the team is great, I like my tasks, it quickly became clear to me that I wanted to stay here." 

In addition, Gina Sebrich has been Chairwoman of Youth and Trainees since 2022. Elected for a two-year term, she and her deputy, Matthias Gulau, represent the interests of young people under the age of 25 at GEALAN. In this role, there are always training courses in which she not only learns further knowledge - mainly from the field of law - but also contacts and exchange opportunities with young people from other companies. What's more, Gina Sebrich is already making a visible contribution to GEALAN: She played a key role in shaping the 2023 Addiction Prevention Day for all trainees with the works council. 

Looking back on her successful apprenticeship at GEALAN: "The three years were over much faster than I thought." Gina Sebrich is happy that everything turned out the way it did: "The many new insights, the many new people made it easy for me to feel comfortable and at home at GEALAN."