An apprenticeship with a lot of work experience and independent tasks
#MyStory - Sophie Reisinger tells her BWF Group story
I am studying industrial engineering at BWF Profiles in my fourth semester. The career speedster was one of the highlights during the practical phases here in Offingen. All trainees and students have the opportunity to win the Minicooper Convertible for a month during their training period. You can then use the speedster to go to university, to vocational school or even on holiday, wherever you want.
I started in September 2019 with the Welcome Days. During this week, all new trainees and students were able to get to know the BWF Group with great activities. I combine the monthly trainee and student rounds with plenty of exchange among each other. During my practical phases, I very quickly took on projects on my own responsibility and thus gained a lot of trust right from the start. Students and trainees are directly involved in the day-to-day work.
For the future at BWF Group, I can imagine going to foreign locations after my studies to implement innovative processes and ideas from Offingen. So far, during my studies, I have been able to see that there are many international career opportunities at BWF Group and my two-year history is just the beginning ...
Sophie Reisinger (20)
Student Industrial Engineering, BWF Profiles
My start at the BWF Group
The Welcome Days were the perfect introduction to the BWF Group. We were given a general overview for a week. We were allowed to do a rally through the buildings at the Offingen location so that we could find our way around straight away. Meanwhile, we also had the opportunity to get to know the other trainees and students. In addition to coaching on safe behaviour in everyday work and lectures on the organisation of the company, a welcome day was held for our parents - the perfect start at the BWF Group!
I think it's great to have regular trainee and student meetings, which are especially important for exchanging ideas. Here, everyone reports on their current departmental stay and their ongoing projects.
Another highlight was the career speedster - the Mini Cooper Convertible from the BWF Group. I won the car for a month. A lot of trust is placed in the trainees and students here. It is also a great recognition of our achievements.
What I enjoy about my studies
I started my first practical phase here in Offingen with basic metal training. This meant that I was able to work with the toolmaking, metalworking and production departments right from the start and gain a lot of experience. I was immediately involved in ongoing projects and was also able to contribute my own ideas. In toolmaking I then had my own project - creativity was in demand here. I was able to put the basics I had learned to use directly. During my stay, I was allowed to make a small train with a trailer, which now stands as a pen holder at my workplace in the commercial departments such as purchasing or marketing & sales.
In other departments, such as Innovation & Development, I was also able to realise independent projects together with other students. In this way, many great and different results came together, which were always discussed and then implemented. I was able to see that even as a trainee and student, you contribute to the progress of the company.
What I particularly like about my dual study programme at the BWF Group is the networking of theory and practice. Content that I have already seen in practice and implemented together with the other employees was easier for me to visualise in the subsequent theory phase. Learning new content is illustrated and is easier for me personally. I was able to learn manufacturing processes, such as turning or milling, in my basic metal training in toolmaking. In the second theory semester, the content of the lecture was therefore no longer unknown to me. This kind of learning success brings a lot of motivation to the theory phase.
In addition, the students have a jour fixe with their trainer once a month. A personal development meeting also takes place after each completed practical phase. The next practical phases at the BWF Group can then be planned independently. I am also in regular contact with my dual partner via the BWF LIKE+ app. This means that the trainers in particular also accompany us during the theory phase and we receive a lot of support from the BWF Group.
What makes the BWF Group stand out for me as an employer?
For me personally, the very first minutes at the BWF Group were decisive: every trainee and student was assigned a mentor who always supports us during the training period. The mentors have been with the company for a long time and we can turn to them at any time if we have questions.
We also received product training on each of the four divisions. This gives you an insight into all of the company's products. Overall, I think it's great that you get to know the entire BWF Group and gain knowledge from each area. This allows us to grow even closer together as a Group and represent it as a unit to the outside world.
My future with the BWF Group
After my studies, I hope to get the opportunity to go abroad for the BWF Group. During my three years of study, I will learn more about standards and processes, which will be transferred to other locations. The other locations could also benefit from the innovations generated in Offingen. A combination of technical and business know-how would suit me well here.
My personal motto at the BWF Group was created during the department stays in the past two years: "The cooperation of each individual results in progress as a whole!" As an employee, you see how a project starts with the idea in the I&D (Innovation & Development) department, it goes on to product development and tool design, then the tool is made in toolmaking and finally the product is manufactured in production. The manufactured product is then sold by sales and then shipped by dispatch. In the end, it is always great to see what the employees have achieved together.
My special moments so far
In the beginning, of course, everything was new - even technical terms had to be learned first in order to be able to actively participate in meetings, for example. I still remember the following moments well:
At the beginning, I took part in a meeting in the sales department, in which an idea was discussed with I&D. At that point, I didn't have any concrete ideas about what the customer required from the BWF Group. After a six-month theoretical phase and a few departmental stays later, I came back to Offingen for my practical phase. The idea remained and in the meantime a project was initiated. Shortly after, I understood the context of the project - so it felt like I was involved in the project from the beginning.
I also think back fondly on our joint trainee and student excursion! On this occasion, we built a raft. Different teams were able to work together and get to know each other better - unbelievably great ideas emerged! The team-building event bonded us "newcomers" directly and the older trainees and students also welcomed us immediately. Private meetings and joint lunch breaks in our company restaurant Johann's have taken place regularly since this opening event.
Since we were so well received into the existing community at the beginning, we BWF Profiles students also organised a welcome evening for the following students. This was also attended by students who have already successfully completed their studies at the BWF Group.
I was also supported by BWF Profiles during my time at the university. For a project at DHBW Heidenheim in the 3rd and 4th semesters, my group had to build a prototype. For this, we received plastic sheets, which we could use as material support for our project. Other materials were also financially supported by the BWF Group!
In conclusion, I can say that I personally have been able to learn so indescribably much in the past two years. I look forward to my further departmental stays during my studies and hope to gain many more interesting insights into the BWF Group.
