Talents for the future
Wieland has been providing training for over 180 years
The contemporary training of young people is traditionally part of Wieland's philosophy. In developing new concepts, the company is always breaking new and innovative ground. In addition to technical knowledge, the aim is to acquire a wide range of skills.
The first apprentice was trained by Philipp Jakob Wieland in 1839 as a merchant. However, it can be assumed that there were already apprentices in the production area before this merchant apprentice Gustav Adolph Mayer, but this has not been documented.
What is certain is that the company has since then attached great importance to the training of young people, thus establishing Wieland's tradition as a large and reliable training company to this day. However, the fact that life’s not easy at the bottom can be seen clearly from the training contracts from as late as the late 1960s. In these contracts the apprentice is obliged "to show obedience and respect for his superiors". Even the "holders of parental authority" are obliged "to encourage the apprentice to be industrious, faithful and to lead a well-mannered life". The keeping of a report booklet is also mandatory - some of them are still in existence today and give an impressive insight into the thoroughness of the training.
In 1970, Wieland looked beyond the horizon of its own young people by founding the "Berufsbildungswerk Philipp Jakob Wieland". Endowed with one million German Marks, the foundation supports the vocational training of young people "exclusively and directly serving the common best".
Innovative paths are taken in 1983 with the Wieland Junioren AG (WJAG), where commercial trainees gain entrepreneurial experience. This is later followed by the WJAG workshop, in which the junior staff work on internal orders as an independent unit. In addition, Wieland is developing the job description of "process mechanic" and plays an important role in the introduction of dual study programmes based on the successful "Ulm Model".
In modern training centres, 8 training professions as well as 11 study courses are supervised within the scope of the dual study programme. Today, more than ever, the focus of training at Wieland is on the holistic approach in both theory and practice, with the main aim of improving the young people's ability to act.
Black on white: The oldest preserved apprenticeship contract from 1839 is signed by the apprentice's father, as was customary at the time.
Our next generation of apprentices to start their careers in September 2019, production site Vöhringen
Thoroughly documented: The training report booklet from 1968 records in detail the handling of a measuring tool holder.
The hairstyles change, the principle remains: Until today, young people receive sound practical and theoretical training at Wieland.
