Bilfinger takes in apprentices in more than 20 trades. Most can be said to be typical for an industrial company, but the spectrum is broad. Now Bilfinger has two apprentices in clerical fields, and the Valve Workshop has a young mechanic in training.
Vilde Nesland (22) and Elias Øien (18) are apprentices in service and administration and have their workday in Bilfinger's administration building at Herøya Industrial Park.
"It was somewhat by chance that I came to Bilfinger," says Elias, who is in his first year of apprenticeship. "I heard a presentation at school about Bilfinger. They were going to take in apprentices in administration, and it sounded exciting."
First in administration
Vilde is a second-year apprentice. She also came to Bilfinger by chance. "I didn't want to study. I wanted to get out into the workforce, and I wanted to work in industry. I applied to many places, including mechanical trades, but they didn't need people where I applied. Then I heard that the HR department at Bilfinger was going to have an apprentice for the first time. I googled 'what is HR.' That made me want to apply, and that's how it happened."
"It's good that we also take in apprentices in clerical fields," says apprenticeship manager Bent-Sølve Hansen at Bilfinger. "We are in the middle of a generational shift and must look ahead and train young people who can replace those who retire. Transferring knowledge to new generations is by far the most important thing we do for future success. Bilfinger has been focused on knowledge transfer for many years, and in-company training provides an update that the school system cannot match."
Mechanic with specialized competence
Sebastian Gusfre (18) is an industrial mechanic apprentice. That's quite common at Bilfinger. What's special is that he is apprenticing at the Valve Workshop and gets specialization in that particular operation. "I've had some training together with the other industrial mechanic apprentices, but I get extra competence as a valve mechanic," Sebastian explains. "I also have to learn everything else an industrial mechanic should know."
"The basic elements of the vocational training are the same, even though Sebastian gets specialization in a side track. No matter where Sebastian ends up applying for a job, an employer should be confident about what he can do, even though he is intended for a job at our Valve Workshop," explains Bent-Sølve Hansen.
