You should ask yourself this question early on. The range of apprenticeships on offer is huge - how are you supposed to know off the top of your head which one is right for you?

In order to find out in which direction you could go professionally, you should take a look at your strengths and interests. This so-called self-reflection consists of three steps:

1. self-assessment
2. external assessment and
3. a conversation with someone who is already working in your dream job.

But everything in order ...

To do this, you should ask yourself the following four questions:

1. Where are my strengths?

For example:

• I am good with my hands.
• I have patience.
• I am communicative.
• I am a team player.
• I am good at physics, etc.

2. What do I see as my potential for development?

For example:

• I would like to develop and apply my knowledge of physics.

3. What interests me - what doesn't interest me?

For example:

• I am interested in technology
• I like to tinker with cars and machines at home.
• I can't imagine working in an office and sitting in front of a computer all day.

4. What do I want to achieve?

For example:

• I would like to take responsibility for large machines later on.
• I want to work with people in a team.
• I want to be involved in the production of great products.

You have thought about yourself and written it down. Great! Now it's time for the second step. Ask other people in your environment for their assessment of your qualities, strengths and weaknesses. Contact persons can be:

• family members
• friends
• teachers
• coaches etc.

Maybe these people will come to the same assessment as you. This is a great confirmation. However, sometimes we are perceived quite differently by others. You should not let this discourage you. Instead, use the feedback to look at your own assessment from a different perspective.

If you know which apprenticeship you are interested in, you should seek out exchanges with people who are already doing this training or occupation. Then you can find out first-hand what everyday work is like and what to expect. 

A good way to talk to apprentices, for example, is to attend apprenticeship fairs. Or maybe your school offers career orientation days where companies present themselves with their apprentices? You should not miss training days and open days of companies that offer apprenticeships in your dream job.

→ For example, at Schunk: On our training days, you can look over the shoulders of our apprentices as they work, ask questions and get to know our training center and trainers.

Just drop by!

Training Days at Schunk

Training Day at Schunk (with OptoTech):
Saturday, September 23, 2023, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Rodheimer Straße 59, 35452 Heuchelheim

Training Day at Weiss Technik
Saturday, September 16, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 2.30 pm.
Greizer Straße 41-49, 35447 Reiskirchen

No matter if you already know for which apprenticeship you want to apply or if you want to inform yourself about individual professions: The following sites offer a wealth of information - from portraits of individual apprenticeship occupations to open apprenticeship positions in your city or region:

• www.ausbildung.de
• www.aubi-plus.de
• www.azubiyo.de
• www.azubi.de

Special apprenticeship websites:

• If you are interested in an apprenticeship in the metal and electrical industry (like Schunk), you will find a lot of useful information and job openings in the industry here: www.ausbildung-me.de
   
• Girls watch out! Komm, mach MINT gets young girls and women excited about STEM professions: click through this informative platform - there's a lot to discover: from field reports and do-it-yourself experiments to downloads of great career guidance brochures.
   
• And last but not least: We have also compiled a lot of information about our apprenticeships on the Schunk career page. In our apprenticeship portraits, you can find out what to expect during your training and afterwards at Schunk and what prerequisites you should bring with you.
  Or browse through our YouTube channel: Here, our apprentices themselves have their say and talk about their apprenticeships and experiences.

The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) is also a helpful source for finding open apprenticeship positions. Here you can also find tips on career guidance and lots of other information about apprenticeships.

Many companies are on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Follow training companies that are interesting for you. There you will often get insights into companies, the daily work of apprentices and stay up to date on event dates and open apprenticeship positions.

Feel free to network with Schunk via our Instagram channel or our Facebook page.

As described above, you should visit training fairs and events of interesting companies to find out about training opportunities and make initial contacts.

We wish you every success in your search for your dream job!