Lloyd Werft’s new dedicated training workshop is presently hosting 44 technical apprentices for the shipyard and for other companies in Bremerhaven and Bremen, according to a company statement. Company executives said the 400,000-euro facility, which was inaugurated last fall, serves to demonstrate the yard’s commitment to the future.  

With a range of machinery and equipment, a lecture room and special work areas, the training facility offers participants an opportunity to learn the trade from the bottom up in a state-of-the-art environment, said the Chief Trainer, Bernd Woltmann.

Apprentices spend the first year in the workshop and move into the shipyard’s different department, while attending lectures, during their second year.

Sixteen new apprentices started last month, plus two students, gaining practical experience as part of their university studies.

Candidates for apprenticeships must have better than average grades from school, according to Woltmann, and should be fit. Working outside in freezing temperatures during the winter or night shifts are part of everyday life at the shipyard, he said.