Internships abroad make apprentices self-confident
Young professionals from a. hartrodt gain important experience during international assignments.
Company founder Arthur Hartrodt demonstrated with his journeys how important it is to travel to other countries right from the beginning. Following this tradition, a. hartrodt Germany encourages apprentices to do an internship abroad. "They come back more open-minded, self-confident and courageous," reports Martin Argendorf, who is responsible for training at a. hartrodt in Hamburg. Since 2010, he has successfully helped 35 apprentices to gain experience outside Germany, strengthen their expertise and take on responsibility. In 2021, a. hartrodt was able to offer four internships abroad in Belgium, Switzerland and the Czech Republic – three apprentices report in this video.
Funding programs for stays abroad
"The apprentices organize their own travel and accommodation with a budget plan," says Argendorf. In addition to the training allowance from a. hartrodt, Erasmus+, the European Union's funding program, finances stays abroad during vocational training. For internships outside the EU, there is the AusbildungWeltweit program. "The funding rate depends on the length of stay and the country or city of assignment, plus a travel allowance," explains Argendorf.
Vacation replacement in air freight import in Basel
Markus Felix experienced the transition from the second to the third year of his apprenticeship in the summer of 2021 at a. hartrodt in Basel. "I had to structure my working day independently and set priorities," reports the 21-year-old. In air freight import, he took over a two-week vacation replacement and handled shipments completely from A to Z. The Dresden native had to "organize everything along the transport chain" and had "significantly more customer contact" than before. He sent extensive documents to the customs agent at Zurich Airport and, in parallel, instructed trucking companies to pick up the goods. His lessons learned: "In the import business it is important to act immediately".
This year, a. hartrodt Germany is offering six internships abroad. "School grades and our internal evaluation play a role in the application process," says Argendorf.