We particularly like that:

The welding because everything is joined together. From many small individual parts we construct something big. The seam allows us to check ourselves, because it shows how thoroughly we have worked.

The highlight during our apprenticeship:

For us it is always a highlight when we are allowed to design a component on the basis of a drawing we have made ourselves. In this way, we have already made a soft-face hammer and standing blocks, for example. Of course it is especially nice when we are allowed to take the things home with us, like our combine harvester, which we built at the beginning of our apprenticeship.

Our working days:

As we are deployed in different areas, our everyday working life is also different:

Colin: In the technical training centre (TBZ) the working day starts for me at 06:30 a.m. with picking up my assignments from the instructor. Afterwards, I find the appropriate material and prepare the necessary machines. Afterwards I get going. On the basis of different drawings I construct the parts needed for the day. Also the post-processing of the pieces, from cleaning to polishing and painting, is part of my job. At 02:30 p.m. my working day ends.

Timo: At the moment I am working in the building shell in the production. Here are things similar. Often I can already see my tasks from a posted work plan at the beginning of my working day at 06:00 a.m. If this is not the case, I am assigned to a workplace by the team spokesperson. I work there mainly at the shaking place. Here, individual parts for our machines are lasered from large sheets of metal and then "shaken out" accordingly.

Qualities, applicants for an apprenticeship should have:

• Manual skills
  
• Care to ensure high quality
  
• Ability to work in a team, since cooperation with colleagues plays a central role
  

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My decision for the apprenticeship:

After I finished school, I did not want to study, so I searched for an apprenticeship, which represented my interests in natural science. I did different internships and also one for the job process mechanic for coating engineering. I directly liked this occupation, because it is practical-orientated and you work in the middle of the company and also in the production.

The start of the apprenticeship:

At the beginning of my apprenticeship, we did an introductory week for four days. This week included a travel with all the technical and commercial apprentices and dual students, so we got to know each other very fast. After that, we worked in the technical development center, where the basic apprenticeship started. We built a small combine harvester: sawed, filed and drilled material. Afterwards, we had our first project as a process mechanic for coating engineering: The coating of our self-made combine harvester. We learned the most important things, which were the basis for high quality coating engineering. Our target was to reach a very high quality standard.

Professional school:

In the professional school we learned the basics of the physical and chemical areas, which were necessary to reach high-quality surfaces. This included topics about the structure, cleaning, coating and also the following quality checks. This is the reason, why you should be interested in technical processes and natural science connections, because without this interest, you are not able to reach high-quality coatings.

Qualities, applicants for an apprenticeship should have:

Most of the time of the apprenticeship you are in the surface area, where you get to know every other area, for example the hanging, the coating and control of parts, so you are included into the whole process. We worked independently, so we had a lot of responsibility during the apprenticeship. You should be reliable and you should be able to work with the highest care. Moreover, it is important to be able to work in a team, because you do the most tasks with your colleagues. It is also important that you work structured, because often you have to do a lot of tasks at the same time.

My prospects:

After the apprenticeship there are a lot of possibilities, for example you can work as a coater in the company or you can develop yourself as an industrial foremen or as a color- and varnish technician. You also have the possibility to complete different studies in the areas process mechanic or coating technologies.

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Our highlight during the apprenticeship:

Our personal highlight was the handling of a welding robot machine. We were allowed to retype programs, change devices and maintain the machine.

Our daily routine at work:

The day starts at 6 a.m. in the framing area. At first, we have to find out, if all the material, needed for a part, is available. When we are working with a welding robot machine, we have to check if there are any defects on the machine and make the machine ready for use. Then, we equip the robot and adapt the programme, so the robot is able to start the welding. While the robot is doing the welding, it is our task to prepare the next work piece and insert it into the welding device of the revolving table.
When the robot has finished its work, the table revolves and the robot welds the second assembly. After that, we take all of the pieces and examine, if there are any faults. If we find some, we have to correct them as fast as possible. If this happens, we have to do subsequent work with the hand welder or the grinder. When an order is finished, we have to change the device, fit it in a suitable programme and collect the parts of the next welding group. This normally happens at least once a day. At the end of the day, we clean our working places and prepare the robot for the next day. Then, it is time to go home.

Qualities you should have for a job like this:

• You should be able to work in a team, because most of the tasks are done in cooperation with the other apprentices
  
• Technical knowledge and accurate working
  
• Interest in working with metals
  

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My expectations towards the apprenticeship:

Before I started my apprenticeship as a process mechanic for coating engineering at CLAAS in Harsewinkel, I already finished an apprenticeship at the CLAAS E-Systems – another subsidiary of CLAAS in Germany. I knew, that CLAAS values its apprentices and therefore had very good expectations of my apprenticeship, now in Harsewinkel.

My decision for the apprenticeship:

One aspect that convinced me about CLAAS was that the apprentices are given the best possible training for three years. Other points such as a safe working place and a good working atmosphere also played a role in my decision. I decided to do the apprenticeship as a process mechanic for coating engineering, because I often supported my father during his self-employment as a painter. I was sure, that I also wanted to do something with paint and varnish. After my internship in this job, I knew, how diversified and enormous it is.

My tasks:

My job is diversified and I like it really much. You have to meet a lot of criteria to make sure the process runs as smoothly as possible. You also have to hang the devices impeccable, that the painter is able to coat the top-coat lacquer area optimally. In the top-coat lacquer area you have to adjust the airbrush optimally to work economically and still provide a good coating. In the area of machine laboratory you perform exams to secure the quality of the products.

Qualities, applicants for an apprenticeship should have:

For this apprenticeship you should bring capacity for teamwork, reliability, flexibility, diligence, accuracy and craftsmanship with you. You also should like subjects like mathematics and chemistry. To operate and service the machines you should be interested in technique.

My prospects:

After the apprenticeship you get the chance to be a consistent part of the company CLAAS and also a craftsman in the area of coating engineering. You also have the possibility to become a paint engineer and an industrial foreman.

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My expectations towards the apprenticeship:

After passing my A-levels, I was sure: I want to do a technical apprenticeship first, before starting to study. I visited the CLAAS career page in order to get all necessary information about the different jobs and apprenticeships and felt impressed by the profile of a mechatronic.

My highlight during the apprenticeship:

My personal highlight was to get my results of the first part of the final exam, because it went really good. Before starting the apprenticeship, I did not have any technical knowledge and had hardly any experience with the simplest tools. The preparations of the company for the exam were diversified, so I had no fear, because I felt well advised by my mentors.

My daily routine at work:

When you are deployed in various departments of your company, you get to know many production machines and different areas of CLAAS. At the beginning, you are very inexperienced as an apprentice, but you always get help from the experienced colleagues, who are friendly in sharing their knowledge. You will learn a lot in a short time and also work on projects independently. Through that, you have a lot of responsibility and feel like a part of the team.
When you are employed in our TBZ (workshop of CLAAS), you often work with theoretical topics, which are connected to practical tasks within the company. For example, you get documents and learn with them, and after that, you can convert it into a programme or a hydraulic circuit. Recently, I worked at pneumatic and hydraulic circuits, which I tested afterwards. I also like helping other apprentices, if they need help or have any questions. This kind of care is also part of my tasks and I enjoy supporting them.

Qualities you should have for a job like this:

You should be able to work in a team. Our company names itself as a family, because it is crucial, that you work together and not against each other. Many processes are based on each other, so the agreement with your colleagues is very important. Furthermore, you should be communicative, because you will get to know a lot of new persons and characters. When you are open and friendly, you will be treated friendly and you have a better chance to integrate yourself in the team.

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My decision for the apprenticeship:

I decided to do an apprenticeship as a process mechanic for coating engineering, because I wanted to do a job, where chemistry plays a big role. I always liked this subject very much and I was interested in coatings, so I was looking for an apprenticeship, where I could coat for myself and work with different colors.

My tasks:

The apprenticeship is diversified, because there are a lot of areas, where you can do something self-contained and where you are included into the production process. In the pretreatment area, we perform bath analyses and control the machine and its functionality. In the topcoat area, where the coating process takes place, we paint and powder the parts in the right colors. We also have the quality check, where we control the coating and where we control and release incoming goods. Moreover, we hang parts on the hanging station or we store them. Another area for an apprentice is the system control or the wastewater system.

Qualities, applicants for an apprenticeship should have:

• Ability to work as a part of a team: You should be able to work in a team, because you often work together with colleagues and most of the time you are not alone.
  
• Interest in natural sciences: You should be interested in natural scientific subjects like chemistry, physics and mathematics, because you always come into contact with them.
  
• Interest in technology: You have a benefit in the practical work, when you are interested in technology.
  

Tasks I like the most:

I really like working in a team and I also like the diversity of the job. We often change the areas in the apprenticeship, which makes it diversified and it never gets never boring. In addition to that, I like the connection of the theoretical parts in the professional school and the practical parts in the company, so I can see, what we can reach with the work.

My prospects:

After successfully completing your apprenticeship, many doors are open to you. At first you can stay part of the CLAAS team and work in your job. Furthermore, you can develop in lacquer technology or you can do a Master in industries.

Get to know more about the apprenticeship.