This year Glashütte Original welcomed 28 new students again for their apprenticeship at the “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking. In 2013, Glashütte Original already offered 28 apprenticeships, nearly doubling the available places. Altogether – the classes in their second and third year of study included – the Saxon watchmaker is currently training more than 70 students. With the increasing number of highly qualified future watchmakers and specialist workers the manufactory is preparing, yet in another way, for the growing global demand for its exclusive timepieces.
Gunnar Müller, Head of the school, and Veit Gehmlich, Production Manager at Glashütte Original, greeted the new trainees in a ceremony and wished them all success for their studies. Of the 28 young people, 24 will learn the watchmaker’s profession, 4 will learn the craft of toolmaking. The period of apprenticeship amounts to three years for training as a watchmaker and three and a half years for a toolmaker.
For optimum teaching and learning conditions, the capacity of the watchmaking school has been expanded through the construction of two new classrooms. All rooms are set up with modern equipment and offer the perfect environment for providing the apprentices with the best prerequisites for becoming watchmakers or toolmakers.
In addition to the practical and theoretical training at the school, several internships in selected production and assembly areas of the manufactory are part of the educational program. Thus the students become acquainted not only with the traditional craft of watchmaking, but also get to know modern techniques and processes and learn to apply them.
Great value is also placed on education at an international level, which is further emphasized by a cooperation between the “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking and the Swiss training program “WOSTEP” (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program) – the only cooperation of its kind in Germany. Through the partnership, apprentices receive a WOSTEP Diploma in addition to their German skilled worker certificate if they successfully pass the WOSTEP final exam.
Glashütte Original will again be offering apprenticeships for the professions of watchmaker and toolmaker this coming year. More detailed information about the educational program and how to apply can be found on the company’s website .The “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking will be hosting an information day on October 18, 2014 and anyone interested is welcome to attend.
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(Source: Glashütte Original)
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