Interview with Ilka, apprentice office management assistant
“For me, working at SpiraTec means learning something new every day and developing not only professionally but also personally,” says Ilka, who is already in her second year of training as an office management assistant. During her three-year apprenticeship, she will work in various departments of “Corporate Functions”, SpiraTec’s central administrative departments at the company’s headquarters in Speyer, Germany. This includes administration, human resources, recruiting, accounting, controlling, marketing and IT. She began her training at the Speyer location in the summer of 2002.
Ilka still remembers exactly how she became aware of SpiraTec. Her first contact with SpiraTec was at a job fair, where she met a colleague from the recruiting department at the SpiraTec booth: “I was approached in a very friendly way and got to know the company during our conversation. I handed in my application during the interview because I liked the company right away.”
Soon after, she was invited for an interview. “During my first interview, I asked if I could do a taster day. As a result, I was invited to spend a day at work with my current mentor to get an insight into the work, the environment and the working atmosphere. I got to know my future colleagues directly. That helped me a lot in making my decision,” recalls Ilka.
Ilka would always recommend a commercial apprenticeship in a large company like SpiraTec. By moving between different departments, you always learn new things. You also learn a lot that you hadn’t considered before. For example, the wide range of tasks in marketing or how an invoicing process works. You learn about all the factors that come into play, what needs to be considered, and how certain processes are structured. This gives you a broad knowledge base and plenty of opportunities for future development.
Ilka sees working in a technical company as an opportunity to bring in different perspectives and viewpoints and to think outside the box. The interfaces with the technical departments give her a lot of insight into topics she has not yet been exposed to. Ilka sees the advantage over smaller companies, such as handicraft businesses, in the variety of tasks and different departments that she passes through during her training. The same goes for the large number of people she can contact at any time. “At SpiraTec I always have something useful to do and my work is appreciated. I am given a lot of trust here, which makes me feel seen and allows me to try many different things. My colleagues are always there for me when I have questions, especially my buddy,” says Ilka.
“The practical relevance is very helpful”
Ilka chose an apprenticeship because she wanted to combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience. She can apply what she learns at the vocational school directly in practice and vice versa. In addition, Ilka was interested in learning new things and keeping up with the latest developments. This is exactly what Ilka is offered in her training. A current topic that is being pushed forward at SpiraTec, for example, is AI, which has enormous potential. “I myself use Chat GPT very often, also for vocational school. It helps me to use AI correctly, for example to formulate questions, to study for exams or to create presentations. AI is the future, so we should not be afraid to use it wisely,” says Ilka.
Ilka would give the following advice to other young people just starting out in their careers: You should definitely be good at organizing yourself. Basic computer skills are helpful, such as Excel and Word. Being able to type with ten fingers on a keyboard is a great help for daily email correspondence. You should have a general interest in office work. Sitting at a desk for eight hours a day is not for everyone.
Finally, Ilka had words of encouragement for anyone who doesn’t know what their future holds or is afraid that things won’t go so well: “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s part of the learning process and helps you grow. Be open to what comes and try things out. You will find your way.”
