Integrated Annual Report 2015
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“The ‘Simply Swiss’ events in Durban and Cape Town that I attended with my work colleagues were among my personal highlights. I was impressed by the extent to which Swiss quality is valued halfway across the world in South Africa.”
Nadine Fritschi, intern in South Africa
“Every young person should jump at the opportunity to undertake an internship abroad. Be open, inquisitive and have the courage to play an active role. You will experience many great things, establish valuable contacts and learn a lot about yourself.”
Janina Widenhorn, intern in South Africa
“Imagine there is a power failure or the production machine is defective and you are missing an important spare part. In India, such challenges are a part of everyday life. I’ve learnt to deal with all kinds of situations, to improvise and to simply take things in my stride.”
Thomas Conen, intern in India
“We know how important it is to begin the process of raising awareness among our apprentices as early as possible. To ensure they understand that international competences are important for their career, we have to introduce them to the topic at an early stage.”
Annika Heilig, HR manager

Venture out into the world and gain experience

In an age of increasing mobility and growing international competition with regard to business location, flexibility is becoming more and more important. Having work experience abroad is also more sought after on the job market than ever before. How can companies ensure that their junior staff have this flexibility in terms of mobility?

International internships are the answer. Apprentices should be informed about the possibility of undertaking an assignment abroad at an early stage, which is why awareness is raised early on during their apprenticeship.

Working abroad gives young professionals a unique opportunity to prove themselves in a completely new environment and return having learnt how rewarding a different culture, a different working environment or a different language can be for their professional and personal development.

Geberit introduces its apprentices to the internship carefully and in a targeted fashion, and ensures that the young men and women are deployed according to their abilities: “It is important to us that both sides benefit from an internship,” adds Annika Heilig, who is responsible for the programme.

Former interns are delighted with the opportunity afforded to them and set an important example, with all of them referring to the internship abroad as a unique and valuable experience.