611 young people start an apprenticeship at REMONDIS, RHENUS & SARIA, a total of almost 2,000 apprentices
They truly are impressive numbers and would certainly appear to point towards a future in which the structural transformation of the economy has been a complete success. The RETHMANN Group companies, based in the German cities of Lünen, Selm and Dortmund, are once again meeting their responsibilities this year, training a total of 1,936 young people in a variety of modern professions. 611 of these apprentices joined the Group this year. They have all made a good choice as the recycling, water, industrial and municipal services sectors as well as logistics and the bio-industry all have a strong future. Whilst traditional industries, such as energy, coal and steel, have been declining for years now, the recycling sector, for example, has taken on an important role in the German economy creating large numbers of new jobs. More than 250,000 people already work in the recycling sector today helping the country to achieve a more sustainable future and generating a total turnover across the country of around 70 billion euros. This development is also reflected in the apprenticeship figures at the RETHMANN Group. 380 of the new apprentices took their first step towards their new career at REMONDIS, the largest of the three sister companies – more than ever before. Rhenus welcomed 212 new apprentices and SARIA nineteen. All in all, just under 2,000 young people are currently being trained across the Group. They have been able to choose from around 50 different professions, all of which will give them a strong position in the job market in the future – from the fields of chemical, motor and environmental technology, to commerce, IT, electronics and industrial metal engineering, all the way through to logistics and craftsmanship skills.
Training to become a professional truck driver heads the list of the Top 3 professions at REMONDIS with a total of 293 apprentices, 87 of whom were among this year’s intake. The second most popular apprenticeship is the course to become an industrial management assistant (170 apprentices, 56 of whom joined the company this year), closely followed by those wishing to qualify as an office management assistant (113 apprentices, of whom 36 have just started their first apprenticeship year).
It has become a tradition to invite the new apprentices to REMONDIS’ head office and this year was no exception. On 29 July, they travelled to Lünen where they were welcomed to the company by Norbert Rethmann, honorary chairman of the supervisory board, and Frank Dohmen, Head of HR. Norbert Rethmann sketched an optimistic picture of the future, emphasising just how important the recycling sector is becoming – and not only for Germany but for the whole of our planet. The recycling, water and logistics sectors will all find themselves playing an increasingly vital role as the world’s population steadily increases and the need to conserve natural resources and curb global warming continues to grow. Young people, who choose to carve out a career for themselves in one of these industries, have, therefore, not only a great opportunity to enjoy a long and fulfilling career but will also be able to drive sustainable development and environmental protection.
Frank Dohmen, Head of HR at REMONDIS since the beginning of the year, also stressed just how many apprentices were taken on by this family-run company once they finished their course. More than 70 percent of all apprentices join REMONDIS as specialists in their field after successfully passing their final exams. REMONDIS operates a wide range of activities to keep people safe, protect the environment and prevent climate change – from recovering raw materials from waste, to developing innovative recycled products, all the way through to supplying alternative sources of energy. The company’s subsidiary, REMONDIS Aqua, makes the very most of its extensive know-how and experience to provide efficient solutions for supplying water and treating wastewater.
REMONDIS is also able to offer its staff good career opportunities outside Germany. Being one of the world’s largest recycling, service and water companies, it has around 500 business locations across 4 continents and over 31,000 employees serving more than 30 million people and many thousands of companies.
