International experience is the be-all and end-all in logistics. That’s why Rieck didn’t hesitate when the (then) IT trainee Peter Balthasar asked about an internship abroad. The IHK had presented the EU Erasmus+ funding program at an information event at his vocational school – and it sounded really good! The plan was to spend a month at the Ideon Science Park in Lund, Sweden. The science park, internationally renowned for its technical innovations, is home to around 400 companies.
The German trainees were assigned to start-ups in an incubator program, which are supported from the initial idea onwards in building up the company. “I was able to deepen my technical knowledge, such as programming languages, but also get to know completely new IT tools and technologies,” says Peter Balthasar, now a permanent employee in the IT Services department of the Rieck Logistics Group in Großbeeren. “But it was also exciting to get organized with the other trainees. We lived together in apartments, cooked together and went on excursions. It required teamwork and the ability to resolve conflicts – we didn’t even know each other beforehand.”
"A stay abroad teaches soft skills that help you personally and professionally."
During the four weeks in Lund, the trainees got to know the working methods of “their” companies as well as completely new perspectives and gained an exciting impression of the country and its people. Of course, the participants also exchanged ideas with their training companies back home: “It was a nice confirmation to hear that Rieck is exceptional in a positive sense, both in terms of content and didactics when dealing with trainees,” says Peter Balthasar. “The assignment abroad was an all-round great experience that I can only recommend to every trainee.”
Karsten Teschauer, Head of HR at the Rieck Logistics Group, confirms this: “Whether intercultural competence, improving foreign language skills or simply broadening your horizons: experience abroad is always valuable – all the more so in an international industry like ours.”
Mikulov instead of Munich
Rieck therefore offers its junior employees various options for a stay abroad – whether through external programs such as Erasmus or the European class at the vocational school in Hamburg or internal offers. Depending on their field of study, trainees or dual students can be placed with Rieck partners around the world or gain experience at the company’s own international branches. The duration of the assignments ranges from four weeks to several months. “Rieck itself also benefits greatly from this,” summarizes Karsten Teschauer. “Our junior staff always come back with new perspectives and ideas, full of motivation to put them into practice here.”
Picture credits: © Elisa Bruneau