The long-established company of CLOOS offers a multitude of education possibilities

HAIGER - The training instructor team of the Lahn-Dill Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) and teachers of the Commercial Schools in Dillenburg visited the Carl Cloos Schweisstechnik GmbH in Haiger in October 2013. About 35 persons being responsible for human resources and education exchanged their views of current and practical subjects of the company-based training. The host welding specialist makes the vocational education and training a high priority. Klaus Arhelger, chief of the initial and advanced vocational training department at CLOOS, gave the interested visitors an insight view of the product portfolio and the training possibilities of the Haiger company.

The factory tour started with a presentation in the training centre of the company which is used for internal as well as customers' initial and advanced vocational training. CLOOS attaches great importance to the training of specialists and engineers. About 50 % of the staff started their education at CLOOS. Every year the company offers many training positions for specialised technical and commercial jobs as well as some places for the dual system of vocational education and training. In total 33 young people are in the vocational training at CLOOS.

During the factory tour two trainees demonstrate a robot controller.

To ensure the next generation of specialists the company will increase the number of vocational training positions in 2014. The concept of "LehrePlus (TrainingPlus) offers young people with an intermediate secondary education to obtain their entrance qualification for a university parallel to the vocation training. In cooperation with the Technischen Hochschule Mittelhessen CLOOS also offers the dual studies concept StudiumPlus (StudyPlus) that at present six young women and men use. The students particularly benefit from the narrow combination of theory and practice. During the semester breaks the students work in the company where they can directly use their scientific education for practical projects. These practical times help a lot for a later career start. "Within a few years young people can run through the vocational education, diploma and study via LehrePlus and StudiumPlus in order to climb the job ladder," stated Klaus Arhelger who was honoured by the IHK Lahn-Dill for his 40 years instructorship.

After the introduction and the factory tour Dr. Gerd Hackenberg, chief of the vocational eduction at IHK Lahn-Dill, presented the current training situation. The numbers of vocational education decrease, therefore new target groups such as the Hauptschueler or the college dropouts have to be contacted