BEST APPRENTICE IN BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG COMES FROM ROLLS-ROYCE

• Prize for Best Apprentice in German Federal State of Baden-Württemberg goes to Andreas Matt
• Lateral entrant to metalworking qualifies at thirty years of age   

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY – The best apprentice to qualify as a metalworking specialist comes from Rolls-Royce Power Systems. Andreas Matt came first in his year and in the whole of   Baden-Württemberg. Andreas, who is thirty years old and comes from Friedrichshafen, received his award from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce last Thursday. The ceremony took place on the site of the refurbished Rottweil power station that is now used as an event venue.

“This success story is also special for our company because it shows that creating lateral entry opportunities can be worthwhile for business,” said Marcus A. Wassenberg, CFO and Labor Director at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “You can apply for an apprenticeship with us at 25 or 28 years of age or even older,” added Martin Stocker, head of training at the company.

Andreas Matt started at MTU Friedrichshafen, the core business of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, in September 2015. Andreas is a family man and originally trained as a geriatric nurse. After two changes of career direction, he decided to start an apprenticeship at mtu at the age of twenty-eight, which made him a relative latecomer. “But starting so late made me very motivated,” he said. That motivation has certainly paid off: in his qualifying exam, he achieved 97.6 points out of a possible 100, making him the best graduate in his discipline in the whole of the Baden-Württemberg region.

Having completed his training, Andreas now works in the MTU Friedrichshafen metalworking shop, where he is responsible for carrying out strength and leak-tightness tests and for machining engine components on different types of finishing machinery. His trainer was Hilmar Hickethier, who is delighted at his pupil's success. “Andreas is very target-oriented, very interested in technology and has excellent interpersonal skills. So he's a valuable person to have on the company workforce.”