On the first of September, the 15-year old future metal and mechanical technician Dominik Berger became the 1000th apprentice beginning his training at voestalpine in Krems. For many years steel-based technology and capital goods group voestalpine has played an important role as a training organization in Lower Austria, investing in the future of highly skilled employees.
With 1,407 apprentices worldwide, 909 of whom are being trained in Austria alone, the voestalpine Group places the highest priority on its responsibility as an employer in the region. The voestalpine companies based in Lower Austria are predominantly training organizations, and here 120 apprentices in around 15 skilled trades are currently being prepared for their future careers. At voestalpine Krems GmbH, for example, 49 apprentices are busy completing their training as production, mechanical, and electrical technicians. voestalpine invests around 70,000 euros in training each apprentice, which amounted to EUR 32 million across the Group in the past business year.
voestalpine’s future success lies largely in the hands of our motivated and skilled personnel. Consequently, the investment in educating apprentices is also a long-term investment in the future of the company as a whole.
Thirty-three new apprentices were taken on by voestalpine companies based in Lower Austria during 2014 alone. Of particular note is the high quality of the training: The apprentice workshop in Krems has been designated a state-approved provider of occupational training, and in 2011 it was awarded the Lower Austria Economic Chamber’s trophy for the best training employer. Apprentices at voestalpine companies in Lower Austria have also repeatedly enjoyed top placings in apprenticeship competitions over the past years. In 2014 mechanical technician Philipp Heninger won first place in the industry category of the apprenticeship competition run by the Lower Austria Economic Chamber. Prospective technicians are offered not only excellent apprenticeship training, but also a wide range of additional training opportunities. These include courses in English, back-strengthening training, personal development skills, and instruction in driving cranes and forklift trucks. The broad spectrum of career opportunities available within an international group such as voestalpine is also attractive to apprentices.
Lower Austria is one of the three key provinces for voestalpine in Austria. Most of the sites located here enjoy a successful history spanning over a century, and continuing to the current day. voestalpine companies based in Lower Austria supply highest-quality steel tubes and profiles, racking systems, special strip steel, and state-of-the-art turnouts to customers all over the world. voestalpine is present in Lower Austria in the Krems area, at Waidhofen an der Ybbs and St. Pölten with a total of seven production companies spread across all four of the voestalpine divisions (Steel, Special Steel, Metal Engineering, and Metal Forming), as well as a holding company. Around 2,300 employees in Lower Austria generated a total revenue of almost EUR 560 million during the business year 2014/15. Investment volumes amounted to EUR 450 million over the past decade, and the average export quota is 73%.
The voestalpine Group is a steel-based technology and capital goods group that operates worldwide. With around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries and on all five continents, the Group has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its top-quality products, the Group is one of the leading partners to the automotive and consumer goods industries in Europe and to the oil and gas industries worldwide. The voestalpine Group is also the world market leader in turnout technology, special rails, tool steel, and special sections. In the business year 2014/15, the voestalpine Group reported revenue of EUR 11.2 billion and an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 1.5 billion; it had around 47,500 employees worldwide.
