The first three apprentices from Bauer Equipment Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Bauer Maschinen GmbH, have recently completed their training as mechatronics engineers. They were hired in 2018 and underwent the programme for three and a half years.

“The apprenticeship here in Malaysia is identical to the apprenticeship in Germany; it is divided into theory and practical application,” explained Arnold Nestler, a trained mechatronics engineer for motor vehicles who has been with Bauer Equipment Malaysia for more than 10 years. He became a training manager at the company in 2018.

“While the practical training was conducted on the company’s premises, lessons were held at the German Malaysia Institute (GMI). There, lessons strictly followed the curriculum of the German vocational school. After passing the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) exam, which is obtained from the Chamber of Foreign Commerce (AHK) in Germany, the Malaysian colleagues received their apprenticeship diplomas.”

“We have maintained contact with the German Malaysia Institute for a long time now,” said Robert Neukäufer, managing director of Bauer Equipment Malaysia, who has lived in Malaysia for more than 25 years. “For many years now, the institute has offered technical apprenticeships and we have also been able to recruit a few graduates from there for our customer service team.”

In mid-2014, Mr Neukäufer came up with the idea for the company to invest in training itself. “In this way, we ensure that we have enough qualified young talent. In Malaysia, many mechanics start as labourers – without further technical training. Many of them lack foundational basic knowledge.”

Support also came from Bauer Maschinen in Schrobenhause, Germany. Bauer training manager Gerhard Piske helped with the necessary preparations and provided valuable assistance to ensure the prerequisites for vocational training in Malaysia.

Mr Nestler and HR manager Jan Chau worked locally and were ultimately able to recruit the first three trainees in 2018. According to Bauer, three more trainees joined each year and in addition to the three graduates, seven trainees are currently active in different programme years.

“We are very pleased with our first graduating class and would like to warmly congratulate our three colleagues. In the future, they will predominantly work in our customer service team,” said Mr Neukäufer. “Of course, additional practical training is needed here at the plants and on sites. The Bauer Maschinen Group also has big expectations for these qualified employees and would like to employ them worldwide.”

All images: Bauer Group