Mr Fuchs, Deutsche Windtechnik and DB Training, Learning & Consulting are now working together to train mechatronics technicians. How did this cooperation come about?
"It happened in a very direct way: Deutsche Windtechnik contacted DB Training, Learning & Consulting and told us they were looking for a partner for the vocational training of mechatronics technicians. We had discussions, they visited the training workshop in Bremen and then we quickly reached an agreement: Starting in September 2023, Deutsche Windtechnik's mechatronics trainees will receive training together with Bahn trainees on a total area of around 1,200 m², 850 m² of which is pure workshop space.
What training goals do we have in common?
Our training workshops ensure that all trainees of the DB Group, and now also Deutsche Windtechnik's trainees, can begin their careers with the necessary basic qualifications and that they are also optimally prepared for the practical final exam at the end of the training programme. I always look forward to the conversations between trainees when they return from the companies they are working for with their first practical experiences. They talk to each other about meaningful activities they are involved in and ideally can connect these activities to the skills they are learning at the training workshop. The trainees of Deutsche Windtechnik certainly contribute further valuable practical experiences here.
Just like Deutsche Windtechnik's Training Centers, the training workshops of DB Training are an important part of vocational training. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes, at the DB Group we have coined the term "three-pillar" vocational training. The term builds upon the concept of the dual system of vocational training. We all know the important roles played by schools and companies in vocational training. We have added an important third pillar to this system: the training workshops of DB Training, Learning & Consulting. We focus on the core professional qualifications during the first half of the training programme and on technology-related specialisations during the second half. In addition, we prepare trainees to take the two practical final exams included in the extended exam. The reason is that our trainees work in very different specialist areas, even within the DB corporate group. Anyone who understands, for example, the differences in technological expertise needed to carry out maintenance or repair on an electronic interlocking, on an air conditioning system in an ICE train or on an escalator at a railway station will realise that theoretical training must absolutely be combined with practical training at DB. I am confident that our training programmes are an excellent fit for Deutsche Windtechnik.
Deutsche Bahn trains mechatronics technicians for various fields of specialisation. How does the training content overlap?
Mechatronics technicians at DB are mainly employed with the maintenance companies of the carriers (DB Regio, DB Fernverkehr and DB Cargo) or at the common service provider DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung. The maintenance tasks on a vehicle can be very different. If we take an ICE as an example, it has traction motors in the drive unit, a system for energy converters, various control technology components and safety components that ensure safe operation, an on-board restaurant with kitchen appliances, air conditioning, toilets with electro-pneumatic valves, a lot of electronic and information technology systems connecting the cars, but also a chassis with bogies and brakes. We need technicians who can work in all of these areas. On the one hand, this is accomplished through active participation in the work process and through integration into technical teams during the practical training phase. On the other hand, it is achieved through special seminars in the area of vehicle technology.
At the training workshop, we primarily cover the basic technological areas and divide them into five temporal phases until the first exam. For example, during the first training phase, which we call time frame 1, we train basic skills in working with hand-held tools as well as the operation of machine tools. During time frame 2, we increasingly focus on aspects of electrical engineering, such as how to properly assemble an electrical system and put it into operation. Control technology is the topic of time frame 3. During this phase, trainees acquire skills and knowledge in working with pneumatic, hydraulic, digital and electrical control systems. Another essential technology area of mechatronics training is information technology. This is the central topic during time frame 4. These training phases are the four pillars of the first year of training. Time frame 5 (combining assemblies and components to build mechatronic systems) and the exam preparation phase take up the remaining time before the first exam, which is scheduled for the middle of the second year of training. We carry out training projects during all training phases. This means that trainees work on situational, practical learning tasks that are always designed to include all aspects of a project: information gathering, planning, implementing and evaluating.
In your opinion, what personality traits and initial experience should trainees bring with them to be as successful as possible and have fun in the process?
The requirements for the job profile are very high. On the one hand, this has to do with the wide range of technological fields of application. On the other hand, it is related to the personality traits that a person should have. For example, if you think of a trainee in the field of industrial mechanics, spatial imagination and good manual working skills are a big advantage. Trainees in the area of electronics, on the other hand, need the ability to think abstractly and logically. Mechatronics technicians need to be able to combine all of these disciplines. For example, trainees need to be able to understand that an optimally mounted mechanical assembly will reduce resistance and therefore increase the amount of electrical energy produced by a wind turbine.
How many female mechatronics trainees do you have?
As in almost all industrial and technical professions, the proportion of female trainees is unfortunately low. For many years, we have supported our training companies with school cooperations and campaigns such as Girlsday to draw attention to our industry and vocational training programmes. Unfortunately, we still only have a maximum of two or three female trainees in each training group. We still often have groups consisting only of men. There really is no reason why young women should not take up the profession of mechatronics technician. And for me personally, working in mixed groups is always a bit more enjoyable.
Mr Fuchs, can you share your own professional motivation with us?
I find it very fulfilling that I can work with my team to make our company more successful by training, qualifying and preparing urgently needed specialists for their work. When I board a DB regional train in Bremen, I can say with a high degree of certainty that one of our former trainees carried out the maintenance on the train and that our team made an important contribution to it. That's a good feeling. Of course, I would also be very happy if I looked out of a train window on a future journey and saw many new or modernised wind turbines that may also have been installed by our jointly trained specialists.
What is your relationship to wind energy? Is it a purely technical interest or are you also enthusiastic about renewable energies?
As you probably know, our corporate strategy, which we have dubbed "Strong Rails", deals with climate change and the long-term positioning of Deutsche Bahn as the most environmentally friendly transport company. In my opinion, our cooperation brings things together that belong together: future-oriented, climate-friendly energy production on the one hand and mobility on the other. Our energy mix already enables us to offer 100% climate-neutral long-distance transport today. Our cooperation makes a great contribution to advancing these goals, which are so important for society as a whole.
How many young adults are trained by DB every year?
Deutsche Bahn is currently training approximately 11,300 junior employees. We are currently training 982 trainees nationwide in the field of mechatronics. If our recruiting efforts are as successful as we hope, another 450 trainees will begin training as mechatronics technicians in September. Our training workshop in Bremen will be the starting point for a total of 120 trainees who will begin their vocational training on 1 September. Approximately 25% of them will be trained in the field of mechatronics.
Do you have any experience in how many of the mechatronics trainees find work after their vocational training?
My experience has shown that mechatronics specialists are in a position to pick and choose the best jobs for themselves. The market for young talents is more hotly contested than ever before, and a qualification as versatile as this will make them some of the most sought-after specialists in the long term. Lifelong learning is also quite important: There are so many starting points for new exciting activities and development paths in mechatronics. This makes a person's decision today to take up vocational training in the field of mechatronics an important investment for their own future.
Mr Fuchs, thank you very much for the exciting and informative conversation!
DB Training, Learning & Consulting has been supporting the DB corporate group in the areas of training and further education as one of the leading providers of qualification and consulting services in the European mobility and logistics market for over 25 years. Every year, DB Training, Learning & Consulting qualifies more than 270,000 participants with more than 26,000 events at 68 learning locations nationwide, including 30 training workshops, as well as online. The approximately 1,400 employees and learning assistants focus on professional education, advanced training and further education for employees as well as teaching specific railway expertise. Instruction takes place in a wide variety of learning settings: conventional seminars, blended learning, e-learning and practical training.
