KNAPP Adds 50 More Apprenticeship Spots – Kick-Start a Career with Diverse Opportunities

KNAPP has been a stable employer for generations, offering their employees many opportunities for development. As a part of this, apprenticeships are a subject particularly dear to KNAPP’s heart. And since the company is growing, they’re offering 50 additional training spots this year.

As a state-honoured training company, KNAPP has been providing apprentice training in Hart bei Graz and Leoben for over 30 years. In 2022, the training programme will be expanded once again: While 30 new apprentices took up training in Hart bei Graz and Leoben last year, another 50 can join the company this year. In the upcoming years, the goal is to continually attract more apprentices, as Jörg Bergmann, Vice President of Operations at KNAPP in Hart bei Graz, explains: “Apprentice training means a lot to us. Since our apprentices of today are the specialists of tomorrow, we strive to offer them the best training they can get. Currently, we have 80 apprentices in training. Our goal is to nearly double this number to 150 apprentices in Hart bei Graz and Leoben over the next three years.”

At both the Hart bei Graz and Leoben locations, apprentices can choose from a total of six different apprenticeship programmes. The training offered at KNAPP provides a broad perspective, encouraging apprentices to think in networks in work that spans many departments. For Christoph Haidic, Head of KNAPP Apprentice Training in Hart bei Graz, it is important that apprentices have a wide range of career opportunities after they complete their programme: “We place a great deal of importance on diligence and ambition. Anyone who demonstrates the necessary commitment will go far with an apprenticeship from KNAPP. This is why we encourage apprenticeships in combination with the ‘Matura’ school-leaving certificate, to give our apprentices as many opportunities as possible once their training is complete. Apprentice training has to be attractive and diverse. I am pleased that we will be adding to our current programmes in the next years, giving more young people the chance to take on an apprenticeship here at KNAPP.”

Christian Becskei, Apprentice Supervisor in Leoben, adds: “Another important aspect is allowing young people in training to make mistakes so that they can learn from them. During their programme, our apprentices also have the opportunity to complete assignments abroad and take courses outside of the company, making the learning experience much more diverse.

The variety the training provides is also a springboard for a career in the company and opens up many opportunities for development in the years to come. Yasmin List’s career is a prime example of this: She entered the mechatronics apprenticeship at KNAPP in 2012. After completing her apprenticeship, she worked in the special machine construction group, advancing in her career to become the group leader: “Since I grew up working with tools and have always been interested in anything that has to do with technology, I knew with certainty that I wanted to learn a technical profession. To choose the right programme, I had the chance to get to know a few companies, including KNAPP, where I felt welcome right from the beginning. What I enjoyed most about my mechatronics apprenticeship was getting to know many departments and working with the different teams. Apprentice training at KNAPP offers so much, from apprenticeships combined with a school-leaving certificate to English courses and work at installation sites around the globe. But it doesn’t end there, the doors are wide open for careers in the company even after completing your apprenticeship.” Since 2021, Yasmin List has been working in Quality Assurance Manufacturing.

Another excellent example is Oliver Micheler’s story: He started his career at KNAPP as a mechatronics apprentice in Hart bei Graz in 2007. After completing his apprenticeship, he became shift supervisor in shuttle production, where he worked closely with the Procurement department. In 2015, his career within the company changed directions and he moved to Operative Procurement, soon taking on the position of team leader. “During my apprenticeship, I built up a good base of technical knowledge, which continues to serve me well in my current role as team leader. During training, you get to know colleagues, work processes, and all the different interrelationships within the company.

KNAPP is also particularly keen to attract girls to tech roles by inspiring them to enter a technical apprenticeship programme or to pursue a university degree in a technical field. KNAPP is a founding member of the MINTality Foundation to support women in pursuing an exciting career in tech, such as mathematics, informatics, natural sciences or technology (MINT).