Support for the pilot project from the state of Baden-Württemberg

In a pilot project, the state of Baden-Württemberg is testing whether a more practical training of business teachers at general secondary schools can lead to a more practical design of business lessons. For this purpose, 12 colleagues were allowed to complete a six-month internship at a company of their choice. I, Thorsten Dörr, economics teacher at the Salzach-Gymnasium Maulbronn, was one of the participants on behalf of the Karlsruhe Regional Council.  So for a fortnight at a time, one day a week, I was allowed to get a taste of industrial air between September 2019 and February 2020.

Why FLUX?
After the selection of the participants, each teacher was encouraged to look for a company. The Dieter von Holtzbrinck Foundation, which coordinates the project for the state of Baden-Württemberg, offered a list of companies willing to take me on, but I wasn't interested. My choice was easy: Since 2017, the Salzach-Gymnasium and FLUX GERÄTE GmbH have been cooperating with good success and with great mutual trust. During this time, I got to know FLUX as a successful company with a high level of social responsibility and social commitment. I also knew about the high quality standards and the high vertical range of manufacture at the Maulbronn site from several company tours. I wanted to learn more about this. After a conversation with Mr Geib, the commercial manager, it was quickly clear that I could become a part-time FLUXian :o)

Procedure:
In the summer holidays 2019, I was sent my internship plan, which included an exciting programme for me. In the following months, I was allowed to get to know all departments of the company: From purchasing and incoming goods to production and sales, from operational to strategic management, from manufacturing to programming, from research to order design, from Maulbronn with the field service through the Kraichgau region to the subsidiary in Cologne, participation in staff selection interviews and management meetings, information on internationalisation strategies, export regulations and initial customer contact at reception, the incredible possibilities of an ERP and quality assurance measures at various levels, controlling in various areas, and much more.... .

Every day I had the pleasure of spending time with a different employee in a different department, so that gradually more and more pieces of the puzzle came together in my mind and the company with its processes and procedures became more and more transparent to me. The assembly, that was my internship day, were my weekly highlights! February 2020 came all too quickly and my internship was over.

Conclusion:
During the internship days, I was able to see a very broad spectrum of entrepreneurial as well as operational activities. Thanks to the great employees who let me participate in their work during the internship days, I felt well integrated right from the start. I was able to learn a lot of professional things from the staff and was able to experience a lot about them personally as people. I am very grateful for both areas of experience. My students will definitely benefit from the experiences FLUX made possible for me.

Outlook:
What is the next step for the pilot project of the country? In the coming months, many evaluations will be organised, many discussions will be held. The results will be evaluated and interpreted in a steering group. The aim is to provide every business teacher with in-depth business knowledge that he or she can then use profitably in his or her lessons for the students.  

I personally feel very connected to the company. The cooperation between the Salzach-Gymnasium and FLUX-GERÄTE GmbH will also contribute to the benefit of the students in the future. I would like to thank you for the friendly welcome in the FLUX community and wish FLUX-GERÄTE GmbH and its employees all the best for the future and look forward to seeing you again.

Thorsten Dörr