Positive trend: a. hartrodt fills more apprenticeship places

Despite a new German record of unfilled apprenticeship places in 2022, a. hartrodt Germany has once again succeeded in signing more contracts than in the previous year. On August 1, nine commercial apprentices started at the company's headquarters in Hamburg, plus two in Düsseldorf and one in Frankfurt. They will be joined on September 1 by three young talents in Stuttgart and one apprentice each in Munich and Saarbrücken. "We are pleased to welcome 17 young people this year. In 2021, we had 15 new apprentices after 13 in 2020," says Martin Argendorf, who is responsible for training at a. hartrodt in Hamburg.

"No specific age" and more migrants

According to Martin Argendorf, the apprenticeship market has changed a lot: "While apprentices used to start at 19 to 21, there is no specific age anymore." The newcomers at a. hartrodt are a colorful mix – from a 16-year-old with an intermediate school-leaving certificate to a 27-year-old Colombian and a 39-year-old Iranian. "More migrants are applying," says Martin Argendorf. The international freight forwarder benefits from language skills.

Student teacher prefers to restart as an apprentice

Also Colin Lietzau is not a "standard apprentice". The 22-year-old was studying to be a teacher for two years: "After graduating from high school, studying seemed the logical thing to do – until I realized that I'd rather do something practical." At short notice, he arranged an interview at a. hartrodt in Hamburg, and a few days later the contract was signed. But Martin Argendorf unfortunately experiences more and more frequently that apprentices cancel "just before the last minute". Therefore, the family-owned company wants to "approach the recruitment process earlier and more actively in the future" and for this reason has had Katarina Ognjuk on board in Hamburg since July 1. The 34-year-old, who has a training qualification and a "heart for apprentices", brings practical experience with her and is also studying for a master's degree in Human Resources Management.

"Today's apprentices need more support than in the past," says Martin Argendorf. In the male-female tandem with his new colleague, he also feels ideally prepared to address young professionals in an even more targeted manner via social media and at training fairs. In total, a. hartrodt Germany has 43 apprentices with a balanced gender ratio.