125 Young People Embark on Careers with the KION Group

“With its portfolio of strong brands, the KION Group is an attractive employer for young people starting out in their careers. Training these youngsters is one of our top priorities,” says Bernhard Just, Executive Vice President Human Resources KION GROUP AG. “Both sides reap the rewards long term: Apprentices and students receive high-level training, while the company secures talent for the future. This is particularly important for our competitiveness.”

From industrial mechanics and technical model makers to production engineers, all training programs related to system solutions, forklift trucks, and warehouse handling equipment are run by Linde Material Handling. “In cooperation with Linde Hydraulics, we have 58 junior employees starting here: 29 apprentices in industrial-technical professions (a further eight at Linde Hydraulics), nine aspiring managers, and three people at KION Group IT. There are also nine students on a dual study program,” says Christopher Klix, Training Manager at Linde MH in Aschaffenburg. “All trainees will be taken on for at least a year after the end of their training program.”

September 1, 2022, will see trainees and students congregate in Aschaffenburg, where they will be welcomed by both company representatives and the works council. Afterwards trainees will get the opportunity to meet their trainers. In addition, there will be tours of the plant for newcomers to get better acquainted with the Linde MH headquarters and to familiarize themselves with their working environment. After this settling-in period, trainees and students will have the opportunity to take part in a very special team-building exercise, as they head off to Kleinwalsertal in Austria for a week of experiential education.

STILL has won multiple accolades in recent years for its excellent training program. Trainees are closely supervised from the very beginning to ensure they get off to a flying start. In 2022, a total 64 trainees and students are embarking on careers at STILL: In Hamburg, there are 35 junior employees (29 trainees and six students on dual study programs), including 23 in technical professions, four warehouse logistics specialists, and two industrial clerks. In the branch offices, there are 29 new starters, made up of 24 mechatronics engineers and five industrial clerks.

The onboarding process for trainees and students takes place over three stages for 2022, kicking off with joint team days. “On September 1, all trainees in Germany will be welcomed together. The event will also be broadcast live throughout the branches,” says Jan Wehlen, Training Manager at STILL’s site in Hamburg. “The day will finish with a communal barbecue.” The following two days are dedicated to team building and initial technical training. “People are especially looking forward to the forklift construction workshop,” adds Wehlen. In early October, all the trainees will spend a week working together in mixed groups, focusing on the forklift truck as a product and on interacting as a team. To round off the training, they are tasked with leading a presentation on everything they have learned.

STILL also boasts an impressive retention rate: “Out of 36 trainees and students, 35 were offered employment and one was enrolled on a dual study program—so our quota for 2022 is almost 100%,” says Wehlen.

The application and selection process for the 2023 training year is already underway. More information on training, dual study programs, and career opportunities at a leading intralogistics provider can be found on the KION Group website or on the career portal of our subsidiaries, Linde Material Handling , STILL , and Dematic .