Exploring new horizons: Bauer apprentices gain international experience in the USA and Malaysia

Schrobenhausen, Germany – For many German apprenticeships, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) holds its final exams between November and February. After passing their practical exam, many apprentices are done with their time in training. They look back on eventful years. For some industrial and trade apprentices in the BAUER Group, the transition from the third to fourth apprenticeship year was marked by a special opportunity: During the summer break, they had the chance to explore different countries and cultures for a period of six weeks as part of the company’s exchange program.

Originally, three to five spots were planned as in the years before the pandemic. But this time the opportunity attracted so much interest, and the program managers were so thrilled at this response, that they looked for ways to send abroad as many applicants as possible. In the end, eight trainees were sent to the USA, with two of them at each location; for the first time, three other apprentices had the chance to go to Malaysia.

“On site, we helped out with the normal workshop routine, and sometimes we were even able to ride along to construction sites,” reports Niklas Asam, who is currently finishing his training as an industrial mechanic. He and another trainee were sent to ECA in Philadelphia, a premium partner of Bauer Maschinen. They were both accommodated in a hotel. “The CEO of ECA picked us up from the airport and helped us check in at the hotel. Then he provided us with a pickup, because without a car there you’d be totally helpless.”

Industrial mechanic Tobias Brand and construction mechanic Adrian Gerekos went to Malaysia together with another apprentice, where Bauer operates a large plant near Kuala Lumpur. They were also given a company car so that they could drive to work. “On the very first day, we got properly lost in that car,” says Adrian Gerekos with a laugh. The hotel was located right off the highway, and before they knew it they were stopped at a toll booth. “We didn’t want to be there at all, but we didn’t have any GPS system or smartphones.” The dense traffic on the left side of the road also posed a challenge. And while they were standing by the roadside, a downpour came down on the two boys without warning. Within seconds, they were completely soaked through.

The apprentices were very impressed by the natural landscapes, particularly the vegetation. Or the fact that there is almost no twilight there because it’s so close to the equator. On weekends, they went on trips to the jungle with colleagues and visited the center of Kuala Lumpur. The social disparities there were evident to the exchange apprentices, as Adrian Gerekos reports: “The surrounding area was marked by poverty. Sometimes you could see up to four people on one moped. In the city, everything is fantastic and clean.” And when you call a taxi, you have to be successfully verified through facial recognition before getting in.

In the USA as well, the trainees were able to see more of the country than just the workshop. The most impressive part for Niklas Asam was a trip to New York with Times Square, crowds of people and seemingly endless skyscrapers. “Philadelphia is big itself, but New York is just gigantic!” On the weekends, they often received invitations from colleagues, who were happy to organize trips or a barbecue. Most of them were only slightly older than the German boys and shared the same interests, for example car tuning or car racing. So they practically spoke the same language.

And speaking of language: How well were they able to communicate? “There was a 20-minute morning meeting every day,” relates Niklas. After two weeks, they could understand most things without a problem. Plus each of them was working with a different colleague, so they had to speak English and weren’t able to speak German at all.

The trainees in Malaysia had a similar experience: Some of the employees there spoke English very well, especially the Malaysian apprentices. But some of them didn’t. “If you signal with your hands and feet, you can also get your point across,” says Tobias Brand with a grin.

Everyone was also excited about the food, the different cuisine on each continent. While the diet in Malysia mainly consists of vegetables and chicken, a lot of meat is eaten in the USA. The apprentices mainly ate out. This was in part because the boys were unfamiliar with the products in the supermarket, but also because going out to eat was frequently cheaper and easier.

When asked what they were most looking forward to when they flew back home, they all agreed: a hearty Bavarian meal!