Training in the plastics industry: technical college and companies get trainees fit for the job

Helping to shape the training of students before they even enter the company is probably the best solution for companies to train and pre-train future skilled personnel in the best possible way. In the Austrian province of Carinthia, this is possible: Here, the TH Ferlach works closely with the plastics industry to provide the companies with qualified junior staff.

In this interview with K-MAG, Silke Bergmoser talks about how the cooperation between the technical college and the plastics industry looks and what kind of response the new type of training gets from students and the companies that train them.

What is your training concept and what makes it so special?

Silke Bergmoser: The new concept of the Technical College for Plastics and Recycling Technology is new and unique in Austria. We work very closely with industry. Our taught contents are of course based on the curriculum. However, we still coordinate them very closely with the needs and requirements of our industry partners so that they can take on qualified skilled workers in their companies after completing the four-year training.

What does your cooperation with the industry partners look like?

Bergmoser: In the course of the four-year training, the students have to complete various holiday internships and, at the beginning of the fourth year, a continuous ten-week internship in relevant companies. Here we can place our students directly with our industrial partners, so that they can get to know the companies, work with them and familiarise themselves with them already during their training. In the ideal case, nothing stands in the way of a direct employment contract after graduation from the technical college for plastics and recycling technology. In addition, every student must complete a final project in the last year of training. The topic is set by our partner companies, so that here too there is close cooperation and coordination between the companies and our students.

What kind of response do you get to the new offer, both from the trainees and from the participating companies?

Bergmoser: The response is very positive and promising. We receive feedback from all over Austria, and even from Germany we have already been offered cooperation by renowned companies and experts. The important thing now is to convince our future students that with this training they not only have a fixed and secure job in prospect, but that they are also making their personal contribution to climate change in this way. With this new training in the field of circular economy, we are definitely talking about an important "climate profession of the future"!

To what extent does your concept strengthen the future of the plastics industry?

Bergmoser: The plastics industry needs qualified employees. We train them. If the industry and we as HTL Ferlach work well and closely together here, then this is an important and valuable contribution for the future, in order to push and strengthen the topic of recycling, climate protection and sustainability here. We cordially invite all interested parties and parents to come and see our training concept for themselves. Interested parties can find more information on our website. We look forward to being contacted and are always available for further information.