Since a few years back Getinge is offering trainee programs at different manufacturing sites around the world, but quite recently a new one was inaugurated in Sweden. The program offer college students work at our sites in Växjö and Getinge, as part of their college education.
The trainee program in Sweden started in September 2017 to help industrial tech students to combine college studies with real life work experience. The purpose is to attract young people, with the hope to keep them in the company when the program finishes. So far the program welcomes four trainees at the Växjö site and two trainees at the Getinge site.
William Ström first heard about the program when Getinge visited his school in Växjö to present it.
“I immediately sent in an application and was very glad when it got approved. Now I spend two days a week in school for theory lessons and three days at the factory. It’s a perfect combination which suits me very well”, he says.
Anton Malm agrees and thinks it’s a great way to get real life work experience in the assembly line as well as developing his welding skills.
“I felt a bit limited when it comes to what we could do during the practical lessons in school. At Getinge we get to weld many different components for the products we produce, and I meet so many experienced and professional people to learn from”, he says.
When the studies are over Anton look forward to start working full time, and his hopes are high that he get to continue at Getinge.
One of the other trainees, Issa Mahad Jabiye, just came back to the factory after spending a few hours in school to perform a math test. Sometimes the students need to be quite flexible when it comes to where to spend the day – in school or at the factory.
Issa gets right back to where he left off during yesterday’s activity to weld crucial components that will be part of one of our washer-disinfectors.
Isabel Torgnysson is the fourth trainee at the Växjö site. Besides of the opportunity to deepen the learning, she values the compensation she gets as a Getinge trainee.
“It feels good to already now have an income. As soon as I get my driver’s license I want to buy a car, so I am basically saving all the money I earn for that very purpose”, she explains.
But when it comes to the best things about the program
Isabel doesn’t hesitate – it’s the supervisors.
“They give me so many good advises, and the space to think things through in order to come up with my own solutions. That really makes me grow in this profession”, she says.
The Växjö site has put a lot of effort into finding the most suitable supervisors, to ensure that the learning turns out as fruitful as possible and that the trainees really come to master the art of welding and get to try different work positions along the assembly line.
Anders and Björn Linander, assembly line workers, have both been with Getinge for many years, and as the last name reveals – they are brothers.
“It’s funny actually; we have worked together for our whole adult life at various employers. When I started at Getinge I instantly managed to convince Anders to come along too”, smiles Björn.
They both find it exciting and developing to get to supervise the trainees, it’s a ‘give and take’ kind of process.
“Our trainees all have a huge interest in welding and they are great listeners who are eager to learn. And without hesitation we learn along the way too”, says Anders.
The supervisors are working closely together with the college to make sure the training becomes a relevant part of the studies, as well as getting guidelines for how to work with feedback and grading.
The program will keep on running and the plan is to take on new talented trainees every year, after a thorough application process where the trainees get to apply and go through an interview, just like it works in real life.