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Colin Felber knew when he was returning home from his taster course that he wanted to have his apprenticeship at ABNOX: “The personal atmosphere was very appealing to me.” The technophile looked at design engineering opportunities with no less than five different companies.
“As an apprentice at ABNOX, you are integrated from the outset,” recalls the 19-year-old who continues to work at ABNOX as a Freelance Design Engineer. He is not forced to choose between the vocational diploma and an income thanks to a flexible 20 per cent workload. Peter Barmettler, Technical Director at ABNOX, explains: “It’s a win-win situation; we don’t have to train anyone, and Colin is free to schedule his workload.”
Individual support
Individual support is a matter of course at ABNOX. “We also give trainees sufficient leeway for personal growth,” Peter Barmettler continues. He considers the fact that ABNOX internalises the entire value chain to be a big plus. Young people experience the full range of processes, from design and development to coordination with suppliers to the preparation of drawings, instructions and sales documents.
Aspiring design engineers complete their six months of basic education at the Roche Diagnostics or V-Zug regional training institution. Then they are welcomed at ABNOX and take on initial small projects right away. Several placements in production, assembly and the measuring centre – totalling half a year – enrich the four-year apprenticeship. “Operating the latest 3D measuring equipment and the 3D printer was a lot of fun,” says Colin, recalling the time he spent in Quality Assurance.
“I had the opportunity to be a developer as well”
ABNOX also places great emphasis on the social aspect. “We share meals and joke around together,” Colin Felber says with a smile. That makes for a relaxed working atmosphere and improves job satisfaction. Peter Barmettler adds: “As a company that provides training, we benefit from the vigour of young people like Colin who bring the Generation Z perspective to the firm.”
One thing that stood out for the newly minted Design Engineer at ABNOX: The ability to challenge himself. “Depending on the project, I had the opportunity to be a developer as well as a design engineer”, he says, and sums up his experience: “At ABNOX, I acquired the latest technical knowledge and a solid foundation in social skills for the working environment.”
