With the Mindener Lernfabrik, the city of Minden has been taking a new, innovative path to attract skilled workers for three years. Together with Minden-based companies and the talent factory, a new type of career orientation project has been created - MILEFA.
The learning factory shows the operational company processes starting with the development of a product to its marketing. Pupils from Minden schools (from the 8th class onwards) develop, produce and market a product being provided by several companies.
This time the concept had to be adapted to the current Corona pandemic conditions. The working process was limited to production and the students worked on current stock orders. This was particularly exciting because this area includes work that is also part of the apprenticeship of our trainees at MINDA.
In this way the pupils received first-hand support and guidance. Svea Wagner, trainee as an electronics technician in the 1. year of apprenticeship, gave instructions on how to assemble auxiliary switches. Finn Blanke, a trainee as a design mechanic in the 1st year of apprenticeship, helped to tighten the torque on the support rollers. The pupils were excited to work on a real order. They were so involved that they finished more parts than planned for the project.
But the MINDA trainees also wanted to show interested pupils their "real" workplace.
After all, what appears more authentic than a visit on site?
Thus, the young MINDA staff distributed personally designed invitation cards with the slogan "Visit us" and were happy about the response of 7 pupils accepting the invitation.
On a Saturday in October they found their way to the Hans-Böckler-Straße together with their parents in bright sunshine.
Here they were welcomed to a company tour by Nicklas Werner, 2nd year of apprenticeship and Mick Koch, student in the 1st year. Both showed different workplaces in the production with enthusiasm where trainees have been working just from the beginning. Afterwards, employees from the education management and human resources departments answered questions about the apprenticeship and the company itself.
As a result of this day, this new way of getting to know each other meant that all pupils took the opportunity to submit an application for a practical training immediately or at a later stage. This is the best way to find out whether and which apprenticed profession suits you according to your interests and preferences. In that way many trainees have already found their way to an apprenticeship at MINDA!
