It is time to celebrate for the up-and-coming talent at Friedhelm Loh Group: five master’s students and 32 trainees have succeeded in passing their exams despite the challenging events of 2020. All five master’s students and 26 of the 32 trainees will be joining the company’s workforce.
It is a moment that makes up for many months of study under unusual circumstances: two ceremonies were held to present the former trainees and master’s students of Friedhelm Loh Group with their certificates. 32 trainees and five master’s students have successfully completed their programmes – a considerable achievement in light of the difficulties associated with preparing for and taking examinations in Covid-19-year 2020.
Head of Training Matthias Hecker presented the certificates to the newly qualified skilled workers within the scope of an official ceremony in Herborn. 26 of them will be performing new roles within the family-owned company: within the Loh Academy team, in the IT department and at the production facilities. Two of the trainees have qualified for the StudiumPlus cooperative education programme and have been studying at THM University of Applied Sciences since 1 July.
Excellent grades for the master’s degree graduates
All master’s students gained first-class results (averaging close to 1, the top grade possible under the German system). And two students, Micha Herbert and Jan-Pascal Rinker (both studying systems engineering) even managed the best grade possible: 1.0, equivalent to an A+. As is the case with the other master’s graduates, they will be staying on with the family-owned company as employees: as a member of the research and development team and, in the case of Mr Rinker, as the assistant to the Managing Director of Production at Rittal.
Uwe Scharf, Rittal Managing Director of Business Units and Marketing, praised the master’s students with a brief and meaningful “Wow!”. The top marks achieved underlined the determination of Julia Seissler, Jonas Debus, Micha Herbert, Chris Robin Neumann and Jan Pascal Rinker. He presented them with a book on “The Art of Living a Digital Life” as a memento, and bumped their fists in place of the usual handshake.
Dr Thomas Steffen, Rittal Managing Director for Research and Development shared in the trainees’ joy in reaching the first major milestone in their working lives: “What can you expect at our organisation?” he asked them, and explained what challenges and opportunities the company, and each and every employee, faces as a result of digital transformation. “What you will be expected to do will change rapidly over the coming years. We need people like you to tackle our joint tasks – people who embrace the new, who are motivated to continue to learn.” Dr Steffen also emphasised the achievements of five refugees who have successfully completed their training programmes.
The mixture of farewells and new beginnings was also an emotional moment for Tina Pfeiffer-Busch, who has supervised and advised the trainees from the very first day, and joined them in looking back at their years of learning. That skills development continues beyond exams was underlined by Debora Hoffmann. She described her graduation project: the 27-year-old from Haiger collaborated with the Loh Academy team – whom she joined as a full-time employee following her training – to produce a new catalogue of seminars for the coming year.
A focus on the next generation of professionals
Around 230 young people are currently embarking on a total of 20 training programmes, ranging from mechatronics for refrigeration, to systems integration, to technical product design, as well as the eleven courses of study available within the StudiumPlus programme, jointly organised with THM University of Applied Sciences. All skills development activities are actively supported by the Loh Academy.
The team of dedicated instructors is preparing the young trainees and students for their future roles in the world of work. In addition to imparting specialist knowledge, they focus on personal development. This not only underpins the success of the individual, it also increases confidence in the next generation of staff, and strengthens the ability of the entire company to innovate.
The entire Friedhelm Loh Group congratulates the graduates on their success, and wishes them all the best for their future careers.