Welcome Month 2022 – The First 4 Weeks for Our New Starters

It’s that time again: As is the case every September, our new dual students, apprentices and participants in our high-school graduate program have started their training with a Welcome Month. This year, we welcomed 137 new starters to Schwarz Dienstleistungen.

Sarah has been working for the Schwarz Group since 2016 and, as part of the entry programs department, has been responsible for planning and running the Welcome Month since April 2021.

Sarah, what is the aim of the Welcome Month and why is it so important?
It is extremely important to us to give our new starters the best possible start to this new stage in their lives. It means that they get to know the company in advance and are best prepared for their first assignments in their future departments. New starters also get to establish initial contacts within the company and get to know each other.

Why is it so important for us? Because young people are the future of the company.

And what exactly happened in the Welcome Month?
Our new starters spent the first 2.5 weeks of the Welcome Month with us, the entry programs team. This included the issuing of IT equipment and familiarization with our internal systems. The new starters were also offered training on various topics, such as communication at IT, as well as a range of workshops.

These were mainly carried out in person, but were also offered in hybrid form, with anyone not able to be on site given the option of participating from home. Some events, however, were completely virtual. We wanted this to prepare our new starters for the day-to-day working life that lies ahead for them.

We were delighted to see so many new starters at the in-person events – for example, at the day at the climbing park, where they had to complete various tasks as a team. Other challenges during the month, such as the big Clean Up Day, also helped to strengthen the team spirit.

At the end of the Welcome Month, the new starters were given their first insight into their respective departments. The apprentices also got to know their trainers.

What advice would you give new starters?
Be curious and open and take the opportunity to ask your expert contacts and mentors lots of questions. That will make it easier as you start out and help you to find your way, especially in a large company like ours. And most importantly: enjoy it!

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