Social responsibility Comprehensive apprenticeship training At Blum, we’ve been training apprentices for the last 50 years. In that time, we have continually updated our training methods and content to reflect the latest industry developments and requirements. We currently offer apprenticeships in ten technical fields: electrical engineering, industrial metrology, design engineering, plastics engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, production engineering, material technology, toolmaking and CNC technician. In addition, we offer young people with a secondary school leaving certificate (Austrian Matura) the opportunity to study on our Dual Academy programmes in electrical engineering, mechatronics and application engineering/coding (our 11th training specialisation). All our training programmes are designed to promote trainees’ all-round development, providing them not just with specialist professional skills but also opportunities for personal development. To this end, we have expanded our basic training to include environmental and energy topics and made our TIMEout programme – where apprentices are given three paid hours per week to dedicate to sports activities or team games/exercises – a core component of the first year of our apprenticeships. The exceptional quality of Blum’s apprenticeships can be seen in the success achieved by Blum’s apprentices in various professional competitions. Our apprentices regularly take part in the international WorldSkills and EuroSkills competitions, which are held on alternate years and see apprentices in various fields pitting their skills and talents against one another. Blum’s business operations, too, are becoming increasingly international, which is why we offer an EXCHANGE programme for our apprentices. Through this programme, they gain valuable experiences working at various sites around the world and, in doing so, develop their intercultural skills and independence as well as their sense of belonging within our company. 358 of our 6,810 employees at Julius Blum GmbH are apprentices. Apprentices therefore make up 5.3% of our workforce (down 0.7% compared to the previous year). 93 apprentices were recruited during the current reporting period. As in all other areas of our business, diversity and equal opportunities are top priorities for our apprenticeship programme. We are aware that we operate in a largely male-dominated industry and so in 2011 we launched an initiative to promote women in engineering and showcase opportunities for women in traditionally ‘male’ professions. The aim of the initiative was to increase our numbers of female apprentices and also retain young women in technical professions – and we succeeded. Since we first launched the initiative, the proportion of female apprentices at Blum has steadily increased. We currently (as at 30/06/2024) have 85 female apprentices training with us, which equates to 24% of our current apprentice cohort. Our apprentices aren’t just skilled professionals; they’re the managers of tomorrow. That’s why their personal development is just as important as their professional skills training. Robert Kaufmann, Apprenticeship Manager 66 © Copyright by Blum
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