As a recognized IHK (Chamber of Industry & Commerce) training company, Vantage offers a variety of apprenticeship opportunities each year at its European manufacturing hub in Leuna, Germany.
The apprenticeship program lasts approximately three and a half years and is a combination of theoretical instruction at school and practical training at the Leuna site. During the training period, apprentices are supervised by certified training officers who are responsible for drawing up deployment plans and for playing a mentorship role in sharing theoretical and practical knowledge as well as being the main point of contact to address questions.
The Beginning of an Exciting Career: Sören Kühn - Chemical Technician Apprenticeship
"The job is very exciting because the activities are so varied."
Sören Kühn successfully completed a three-and-a-half-year apprenticeship as a chemical technician at Vantage Leuna and now works as a plant operator in production at the site. He shares his experiences about the apprenticeship:
What did you like about training as a chemical technician?
I had very good instructors both at school and in the company. I really enjoyed putting what I had learned in theory into practice and experiencing chemical production "up close and personal." The job is very exciting because the activities are so varied. I was able to get to know the different production lines during my training The colleagues are very nice; you can feel a great team spirit and a lot of passion for the work.
You have now started as a plant operator. What are your tasks in this position?
Depending on the shift, I work either inside the control room or outside in production. In the control station, the team controls the production processes and checks parameters such as temperature, pressure and flow rate. You spend a lot of time in front of computers. Outside on the production lines, my colleagues and I monitor the production processes and ensure the quality parameters are met. A typical task for example is taking samples for quality control of raw materials or finished products. it is also important to detect possible malfunctions in the plant at an early stage so that countermeasures can be taken quickly. And last, but not least, filling drums and tank trucks with our products is also one of my tasks.
What are you most looking forward to in your new job?
I'm very glad that I learned such an exciting and varied profession. Now that the apprenticeship is over, I can fully enter professional life and gain work experience. At Vantage Leuna, there are many opportunities for further development. In the future, I'd like to train to be an industrial foreman so that one day I can become a shift supervisor. In the long term, I aspire to be a production manager.
What advice would you like to give to future apprentices?
A good secondary school diploma is important to get a training position as a chemical technician. I would advise interested students to inform themselves well in advance about the profession and the company. After all, you work with chemicals in this profession. You don't need to be concerned about that as you will learn to how to handle them with respect and care. In general, you should also have an interest in science subjects, such as mathematics, physics and chemistry. And it helps if you are hand and above all, enjoy working as part of a team.
