Insider Interview - Apprenticeship as Industrial Clerk

Kim Duve, 24, Trainee as Industrial Clerk in 2nd training year

Why did you decide to train as an industrial clerk?

The field of business has always interested me and I wanted to learn a profession where I could also use my foreign language skills. During the training as an industrial clerk, you get to know all the commercial departments of the company and thus have the opportunity to specialise in a certain area of application.

Are special previous knowledge and skills necessary for this profession?

No, neither at vocational school nor in the company. However, the prerequisite for the apprenticeship is a good secondary school diploma or (technical) high school diploma. You always have the necessary support in the company and the more you work the necessary programmes and get routine in the processes, the easier it becomes. And at school, too, the subject matter is presented in a very comprehensible and detailed manner, so that you always keep up well.

Why did you decide to join ONEJOON?

I felt very comfortable at my interview here and had the impression that they wanted to get to know me as a person and didn't just look at my qualifications.

What do you particularly like about the training at ONEJOON?

What I particularly like about the apprenticeship is that you are involved in the day-to-day business right from the start and can therefore take on a lot of responsibility. In addition, you can already work very independently in the different departments after the induction period. By switching between departments, you get a good overview of the company and can easily understand the connections between the individual departments. At ONEJOON, the interactions are also very friendly and you get to know almost all of your colleagues in a short time.

Which departments do you visit during your training?

During my apprenticeship, I have so far got to know Purchasing, MDMS (Work Preparation), Logistics, Order Processing (Import & Export), Project Management, Sales, the Test Center and Service. Accounting, Controlling, Marketing and Quality Management are still on the schedule. Depending on your interests, the training plan can be individually adapted.

What is your typical working day like and what are the working hours?

There is no such thing as a typical working day, because you always have to get used to new processes due to the change of departments and there are different tasks in each department. Since most of the tasks are related to the project business and there are often different tasks from project to project, almost every day is different. However, I usually start my day by checking my calendar and emails to see if there are any appointments or tasks for the day.

We have flexitime at ONEJOON. In our case, this means that we can start flexibly between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m. and have to be present during the core working hours between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday. From Monday to Thursday you work eight hours, on Fridays six.

How is the cooperation with trainers and colleagues?

The cooperation in all departments is very collegial and supportive. All colleagues are understanding towards each other and towards trainees. If there are problems, you can always turn to a contact person and a solution is worked out together.

How are the lessons organised at the vocational school and what knowledge do you learn there?

The lessons are organised in blocks, i.e. I have two school blocks per training year, which last about 6 weeks. You usually have six lessons per day. Personally, I think it's good that the lessons are organised in this way, because it allows you to concentrate fully on the school day and gives you time to study in the afternoons.

What programmes do you work with in the company?

We mainly work with SAP in every department. In addition, I worked with Windchill in the service department and with the CRM system in the sales department. In all departments we also work with MS Office, i.e. Word, Power Point, Excel, etc.

What career opportunities do you have after the apprenticeship?

After the apprenticeship, you have passed through all the commercial departments of an industrial company and can be employed there. In each of these, you can continue your education individually. In addition, there is the possibility of doing a business administration degree or a degree in business studies.