In light of the increasing lack of skilled labor, the USA and Austria are intensifying their cooperation and exchanges in the field of dual education. It is for this reason that US Secretary of Labor, Marty Walsh, was a guest today at voestalpine in Linz. He came to view the steel and technology Group’s state-of-the-art training center where around 400 apprentices are currently undergoing training.
Around the world, the voestalpine Group is opening up career perspectives for 1,400 apprentices in a total of 50 skilled trades. As one of the country’s largest industrial apprentice training institutions, in Austria the voestalpine Group is currently training around 860 apprentices in 30 skilled trades.
We are very proud of the excellent training and wide variety of career opportunities that we offer our apprentices, and are delighted that today US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh came to see our center for himself. This shows, once again, that voestalpine’s apprentice training is a showcase example of Austrian industry.
The apprentices are being prepared to apply the latest technologies to the processes and workflows used in the digital workplace. This includes modern teaching methods such as working with Virtual Reality glasses, or the use of robotics. More than EUR 90,000 is invested in training each apprentice.
“Expanding dual apprenticeship training is the key to creating high quality jobs in new and emerging industries,” says US Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “By signing a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2022 on expanding apprenticeship programs in both countries, the USA and Austria have signaled their intention to improve the career prospects of young people.”
In contrast to Austria, the USA has no unified, federal training program for young workers. However, at several of its US sites, voestalpine is using various in-house training models to train skilled workers. These are based on the principles of apprenticeship training in Germany and Austria, teaching both theory, often in cooperation with local schools, as well as practical skills.
voestalpine is a globally leading steel and technology group with a unique combination of materials and processing expertise. voestalpine, which operates globally, has around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. It has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its premium products and system solutions, voestalpine is a leading partner to the automotive and consumer goods industries, as well as to the aerospace and oil & natural gas industries. The company is also the global market leader in railway systems, tool steel, and special sections. voestalpine is committed to the global climate goals and has a clear plan for decarbonizing steel production with its greentec steel program. In the business year 2021/22, the Group generated revenue of EUR 14.9 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 2.3 billion; it has around 50,200 employees worldwide.
