Continuity even in difficult times: Aurubis brings more apprentices on board than last year

Aurubis AG has made it through the ongoing coronavirus pandemic stable and, for the most part, unaffected so far. This is evident in the high number of new apprentices again, which the company officially welcomed at its Hamburg and Lünen sites. A total of 98 young people are currently starting their apprenticeships at Aurubis AG: 80 in Hamburg (13% more than in 2019) and 18 in Lünen. The leading provider and recycler of non-ferrous metals is therefore one of the largest industrial training companies at the two locations.

At Aurubis Hamburg, it’s a tradition for the First Mayor to welcome the young people starting their apprenticeships at Aurubis during an official ceremony. Due to the coronavirus, the welcome was a little different this year: the apprentices were divided into two groups and the ceremony took place on the plant premises in two rounds with the applicable hygiene and distancing rules.

First Mayor of Hamburg Peter Tschentscher joined both rounds with a video greeting, stating, “Aurubis is an important, modern company in the industrial location of Hamburg, a company that is well equipped for the future. Despite the difficult global situation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, the number of apprentices increased this year again.” He asserted that Aurubis thus makes a strong contribution to helping young people find good professional prospects in Hamburg. He addressed the new apprentices directly: “With your decision for Aurubis, you have made three important decisions at the same time: you have chosen a modern occupation, in an important industry, in a strong company.” He closed by saying that, with their apprenticeships, these young people strengthen Hamburg as a competitive, innovative, and sustainably oriented industrial location.

Aurubis AG Executive Board Chairman and Director of Industrial Relations Roland Harings expressed in his speech to the new Hamburg apprentices,

In contrast to previous years, the fact that we are here today and are even welcoming the largest class of apprentices thus far can’t be taken for granted, when we have a look at the drastic economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on many sectors. Furthermore, our capability at Aurubis to continue to provide training to the best of our abilities clearly shows that our business model is encouragingly robust; our metals are needed for the megatrends now and in the future! As a company in the basic materials industry, Aurubis has proven to be crisis-proof up to now and – due first and foremost to our employees’ exemplary conduct during the crisis – has been able to continue production unaffected for the most part.” Harings emphasized, “We will continue to do everything to ensure that it stays that way. We’re glad that you’re helping shape the future, both yours and ours, through state-of-the-art training at Aurubis. I’d like to give you a very warm welcome.

Just last year, the First Mayor, together with the Aurubis Executive Board Chairman and the plant and apprenticeship management, inaugurated the new Innovation and Training Center (IAZ), an Aurubis investment of about € 18 million with a usable area of 6,500 m², in the Hamburg district of Veddel. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, apprentices will be trained in modern facilities such as the 1,400 m² training workshop in occupations such as chemical laboratory assistant, process technologist, mechatronic technician, industrial management assistant, IT specialist, or as a student in an integrated degree program for business administration or informatics. Three additional occupations were added this year. At an average of 85 percent, the retention rate over the last ten years has been very high.

At Aurubis in Lünen, located in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, investments were also made in a new training center (ATASI) that was inaugurated in spring 2019, boosting the potential training capacity by 50 percent. This year, all 18 apprenticeships at the Lünen site for 2020 were filled early on. Starting next year, Aurubis in Lünen will offer new apprenticeship options for process technologists in non-ferrous metallurgy as well as for production specialists in chemistry. During the coronavirus period, so-called collaborative training is also a sign of quality and stability: “We support several local companies in training young people, for the second year in the meantime,” said Aurubis Lünen Plant Manager Michael Jordan. As a result, a total of 60 apprentices are being trained under the Lünen copper recycler’s roof at times.

Jordan emphasized, “I believe it sends a very important signal that we have kept our apprenticeship training up and running despite the coronavirus crisis. I’d also like to give a big ‘thank you’ to the trainers and apprentices who, with discipline and very good hygiene concepts, together enabled the training workshop to stay in operation and the work in the plant to continue. This is a very difficult time that requires foresight, optimism, and positive thinking. Vocational training at Aurubis is an important contribution that should impart all of these qualities.”