"We need many colleagues who are open to change"

The discussion shed a special light on all the efforts Weinberg has been making for more than 30 years to build the local community and keep young people in the region. Over the decades, they have created a real knowledge hub, which of course also aims to train and empower the next generation of the company's employees. In this article, we present the company's key educational cornerstones.

Conscious construction

When it was decided that Weinberg would produce heavy steel structures, main support structures, they also looked at the professional opportunities they had in terms of human resources.

Sárospatak and Sátoraljaújhely have a history of steel structure production: the Csepel Works bicycle factory was located here, and there was also machining and steel structure production. And in Sátoraljaújhely, the Toldi Iron Industry Co-operative, where large vaults were manufactured, and the Elzett factory for special locks also carried out steel construction work.

In 2003, the company built its heavy steel structure manufacturing plant and at the same time started to provide practical training for apprentices. This gave rise to the idea that the Sárospatak vocational training school should include training for structural fitters in its curriculum, alongside training for machining and CNC machine operators. Weinberg succeeded in getting its programme accepted and in return they undertook to provide apprenticeships.

"We also quickly took a new direction in our training, because those who had graduated from high school but were unable to continue their studies could come to an OKJ training course for welders, where we also provided practical training. We trained some excellent people, many of whom stayed with us. There were examples where we specifically trained female welders. It was interesting and enlightening, there is huge potential to open up what is considered a male-dominated field.

Our company is fully aware that it is investing money and human resources in these programmes: we will always need new recruits. We cannot have a vision for the future without succession education", the Director of the Manufacturing Business Unit said.

Twenty people can study here at the same time

In addition to apprenticeships, summer internships were offered to students at the technical school, and a special programme for retraining locals was launched. The company has had good relations with the University of Miskolc for at least a decade and now also with the Budapest University of Technology.

"We would like to help the flow of information between educational institutions and market companies, because their know-how and our real market needs and knowledge can significantly strengthen each other" - emphasized Róbert Lovas.

They can comfortably provide traineeships for twenty people at a time, as they have to be accompanied by qualified staff who supervise and guide the work of the students - including, of course, at university level. They want to give everyone the opportunity to find out what they are really interested in.

 

 

Everyone deserves individual treatment

Although the curriculum for apprenticeships is a fixed and state-regulated system, the admission requirements were set by Weinberg - in consultation with all the agencies, of course. Recruitment starts with a test based on a certain basic knowledge, as it is important to assess skills and abilities beforehand.

"If we see that someone would have done well in a technical school, it doesn't mean that they won't have the opportunity to make up for it later, and Weinberg helps everyone.""If we see potential in someone who works for us, we will sign them a contract and help them to continue their studies."</big

So while the training of skilled workers is mostly local, the university system is a bit more pre-specific, as for example, the University of Miskolc will be the source of the welding engineers or CAD-CAM engineers who will be crucially needed.

It is now up to companies to find workers

The Director of the Manufacturing Business Unit considers it important to reflect the changed processes: it is no longer the workers who apply to the company, but the companies who have to find the workers. "We need to let people know that there is room for development: people who come here can learn and train. We consider it a great achievement that we have added a profession to the national training directory: people who are interested can now learn metal coating."

A full career arc for those who stay

As we have learned, Weinberg motivates students in many ways. Every year, more apprentices stay with the company after their training. Those who finish their studies with good results are offered a job in the company. The scholarships for apprenticeships are a minimum for apprentices. "If we top it up, differentiate it and thus recognise better work, we encourage students. It's the same if we involve a good student in a project. It's a real reward when they know that their work is no longer going into the landfill but will be incorporated into a structure. It puts a responsibility on their shoulders, but it can be a very rewarding way to be highlighted. Young people need to be taught to take responsibility and to self-monitor their work.

There are at least four or five people in the company who have not only stayed, but have gone on to very high positions and are now responsible for the work of many - we have given them a career."

To achieve this success, Weinberg is working to encourage colleagues to undertake further training. For example, if you want to go from being an engineer-manager to a senior manager, you will also need financial skills. Those who are ambitious are typically supported by the company to obtain an extra degree. Once you have this, you can move up to senior management level, where you will need to have an insight into HR, sales, controlling or finance.

Follow the transformation of the industry

In 2018, the company decided to embark on a major digitalisation and lay the foundations for file-sharing production technology. It bought machines that could process data without altering it. The key to file-swap manufacturing is that projects are created in a digital space, where they try to implement everything in its entirety and then produce the product, once tested, on the basis of the digital sample. Managing these machines requires new skills from all our colleagues.

"So we need many colleagues who are open to change. We have to dare to change, because change is a must: if we don't do it, we will be left behind", the director said.

He added: „So we need to think decades ahead, because we need to see where we want to go. At the same time, faith in the future needs symbols: for us, these include our new fleet of machines and our rel="noopener">recently handed over new office, which is a guarantee of our future. It shows that there will be long-term production here."