PRESS RELEASE, Dillinger und Saarstahl

Saarland’s steel industry welcomes 159 new trainees

06 August 2019

The new training year is beginning: A total of 159 young people start their careers today at Saarstahl AG and AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke. At Saarstahl, 76 trainees are beginning a new phase of their lives: 68 in technical and industrial fields and 8 in business-related fields. Dillinger has recruited 83 trainees this year, with 78 of them in technical and industrial fields and 5 in business-related fields. The group includes 22 women and 12 participants in the intercultural BEST 2.0 career-entry program.⃰ Saarland’s steel industry now employs 563 trainees (Dillinger: 273; Saarstahl: 290) across all training years.

This year Peter Schweda, Labor Director and Human Resources Director of Dillinger and Saarstahl, is once again joining the trainers, Works Council members and youth representatives to personally welcome the new trainees. “We warmly welcome you and we are very pleased that you have decided to start your careers with us. To make the best steel, we need the best employees, which is why we place great importance on qualified training. We wish you a good start to your careers and we will be supporting you with a strong team and with skilled trainers who will accompany you on your career path from now on.”  

The steel industry in Saarland has relied for many years now on a strong pool of young skilled workers and it is among the most important job-training organizations in the region. From plant mechanics and chemical laboratory assistants to industrial clerks – a total of 18 technical and business career fields can be learned. Dillinger and Saarstahl offer training to meet their own requirements and generally hire their trainees once training is completed.

As part of the affiliated network training program, 14 trainees from other companies are completing training at Dillinger (5) and Saarstahl (9). In addition, the two companies provide a total of 18 new interns (from technical colleges and as part of a one-year basic vocational training program) initial insight into the working world.

Applications for 2020 in full swing

The “Stahlbunt fürs Leben” (Steel diversity for life) campaign focuses on the variety and attractiveness of an apprenticeship in Saarland’s steel industry. The website for the campaign www.stahlbunt-fuers-leben.de offers a wealth of information, videos and statements from trainees.

Anyone interested in the upcoming training year can also visit the “Open House Day” at the respective training centers on 7 September 2019 (Saarstahl Völklingen) and 14 September 2019 (Dillinger), or obtain information online at www.saarstahl.com and www.dillinger.de. The deadline for applications is 3 November 2019.

⃰ BEST 2.0 is the “career-entry program of Saarland’s steel industry,” where refugees and Germans who do not yet have vocational training positions are prepared for careers.

  Dillinger Saarstahl Total Dillinger + Saarstahl
Trainees 2019 83 76 159 + 3 retrainees
of which: Women 14 8 22
BEST-participants 7 5 12
Industrial.-technical trainees 78 + 1 retrainee 68 + 1 retrainee 146 + 2 retrainees
Business trainees 5 8 + 1 retrainee 13 + 1 retrainee
Total trainees 273 290 563
Affiliated network trainees 2018 5 9 14
Interns 2018 6 12 18