All about commercial apprenticeships

George Mansoor
18. February 2020

What is a commercial apprenticeship?
Commercial employees are responsible for a variety of office-based activities. Their tasks include drafting letters, reports and contracts. Commercial apprentices also learn about keeping accounts, preparing statistics, advising customers, promoting products, and planning and organisational tasks, to name but a few activities.

Training
The apprenticeship takes three years to complete. During these three years, apprentices split their time between working at the company and attending school, with the former making up the significantly larger part of their week. Apprentices spend two days a week at school in the first two years of the apprenticeship, and just one day a week in the final year. School is where the theory is learned, and the company is where it is put into practice. During their apprenticeship, apprentices also attend inter-company courses, where they learn industry-specific skills such as working and communication techniques. Within the apprenticeships themselves, the basic vocational education and training programme (B profile) and the extended programme (E profile) differ only in educational terms.

Development opportunities (further training and continuing education)
After completing a commercial apprenticeship, there are a number of paths to choose from. The further training and continuing education opportunities available include enrolling on a course, taking a professional examination or advanced specialist examination, or attending a professional education and training college or a university of applied sciences. Those who complete the apprenticeship also gain broad general knowledge that can be useful in a wide range of careers.

What does a commercial apprenticeship at KELLER look like?
Those wishing to become a commercial employee with a Federal VET Diploma will find a varied training programme at KELLER. Apprentices spend time in a variety of departments (job preparation, accounting, sales, marketing and purchasing). The work is enjoyable because the activities carried out in each of the departments are very diverse. During the three-year apprenticeship, there are also opportunities to visit the various production departments to gain an insight into our products and how they are produced and manufactured. This arms apprentices with valuable knowledge that can be incredibly helpful when advising customers.

Summaries are also created for the departmental visits. These are useful for the final examination, which also includes questions that test the apprentices' operational and industry knowledge.

Requirements
Commercial employees must possess the following skills: independence, the ability to express themselves and to strike up a rapport, a talent for organisation, and the ability to work as part of a team. Of course, commercial employees have to be good at a lot of other things too, but these are the most important.

The apprentices at KELLER
KELLER offers one apprenticeship a year. All places are currently occupied. Dominik Goldmann is carrying out his apprenticeship in the accounting department, Caner Türkmen in job preparation, and George Mansoor in the sales department for Switzerland.

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