Hatice, Apprentice
Industrial clerk
Hey, I'm Hatice, I'm 24 years old and I'm currently doing my apprenticeship at AAT Alber Antriebstechnik GmbH. Below you will find some information about me, my apprenticeship and our company.
Hatice, you were allowed to conduct the interviews for the website with your trainee colleagues as part of your training assignment in the marketing department - how was this project for you? Can you also identify with the answers?
I enjoyed waiting for the answers and reading them, but also editing and posting them on the website afterwards. One word stands out the most among the statements from my trainee colleagues: "team". I think this word describes AAT perfectly. I'm glad I sent my application to AAT back then. 😊
In general, you worked a lot on the creation of the new AAT website. What was the biggest challenge for you and how do you like the end result?
In my opinion, the new website is really nice. The new design and the clarity are my highlights. The biggest challenges for me were not so much the tasks themselves, but rather the fact that everything really had to work.
Of course, I also wondered how our customers would like the new website, whether they would find it easy to navigate and whether they would get all the information they need.
Which departments within the company have you worked in so far, and which are next on your list? Is there a department that has particularly impressed you so far?
I started my apprenticeship in September 2022 and my first department was Accounting in combination with Human Resources. As the trainees in our company change departments about every 6 months, I was then allowed to move to the Service Center. Another six months passed there too and now I'm in the marketing department. Next up are the National and International Sales departments and Purchasing.
As I've only been in three departments so far, it's hard to say which I liked best. What surprised me afterwards was that the telephone in the Service Center wasn't as "bad" as I first thought. 😃 I shied away from it at the beginning because I was afraid of saying the wrong thing to our customers. But my colleagues helped me so much, even though I asked some questions for the hundredth time. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our service department once again.
I was most excited about our marketing department because I was already very interested in advertising. There is so much to learn and I enjoy every minute in the department 🙂
You are now in your second year of training - can you still remember what it was like when you applied to AAT? What do you particularly remember?
I sent off my application in spring 2022 and received a reply quite quickly. I can still remember the subsequent interview very well. It was a pleasant atmosphere and I felt very comfortable. I was able to answer "normally" without being afraid of saying something wrong. No nasty trick questions were asked, instead we had a relaxed and open conversation.
What makes training at AAT special for you?
I decided to do an apprenticeship at AAT because I wanted to get to know more practice instead of theory. As an apprentice, you can apply what you learn at vocational school directly in the company. And vice versa, if a school topic is incomprehensible, there is always someone in the company who can help. What I also like is that AAT also offers and supports various further training courses after the apprenticeship.
How can we imagine one of your typical working days?
I start my days differently. Sometimes at 7:00 a.m., sometimes just before 8:00 a.m. or even in between. As we have flexitime accounts, it's very convenient and we don't have any time pressure in the morning. After I arrive at work, the first thing I do is check my e-mails. What's new or what still needs to be done? I try to plan my day and like to make to-do lists so that I don't forget anything.
It always depends on the day of the week. Tuesdays are my mail day, for example, which means that the outgoing mail has to be taken to the incoming goods department for collection and the incoming mail has to be collected later. Then we also have our trainee tasks. Mine are currently to run errands for the kitchens and then make sure that nothing runs out. The trainee tasks change with every change of department to provide more variety. Now back to my day - after processing the mail, I continue working at my desk. If I don't have any more tasks, I ask for more (there's always something to do - often trainee projects). In between, I take my lunch break. Depending on when I started in the morning, I finish work after about 8 hours.
Would you tell us a bit about the course of your training in relation to the company and school lessons and how the two areas can be combined?
In addition to the practical work in the company, which is set out in the training plan, I attend vocational school every week. The framework curriculum applies there, which is coordinated with the training framework plan. We have theoretical content but also general subjects such as German and English.
In the first year of my apprenticeship, I had school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I was at work on the other three days. In the second year, I now have school on Thursdays and Fridays and in the third year only on Mondays.
Generally speaking, we can say that the topics we learn at school can also be applied in the company, such as ordering goods or parts according to their delivery time so that they can be replenished before they are fully used.
Do you have any favorite subjects?
To be honest, I would much rather be at work than at school. But if I had to choose one subject, it would be German. I love German grammar and spelling.
Let's talk: are there any characteristics of your trainers that are worth knowing about?
Oh yes. During our training period, we have a big trainee meeting every quarter with our training manager Sabrina and HR manager Tom (we're all on first name terms here, by the way). We have the opportunity to prepare and present a quarterly report on a commercial topic. This also serves as preparation for our final exam. Sabrina and Tom then give us valuable feedback.
What is a big no-go for Sabrina - and in this case you really do get every single word underlined in red - is when we use the word "man" in our report books or quarterly reports. Phrases like "one does ..." or "one has ..." are a no-go. In the final presentation, Tom always wants an introduction to the topic. If the person at the front forgets this, he gets a red card. 😃
Now you're about halfway through your training as an industrial clerk - have you already thought about what you want to do after your training?
Yes, definitely. I would like to continue working "normally" afterwards and maybe take a short vacation. I could imagine doing further training later on.
Is there anything final that you would like to share with the readers of this interview? 😉
Stay healthy and send your applications to Tom and Sabrina. We look forward to seeing you! 🫡
