Still has welcomed 64 new apprentices and students to the company's headquarters in Hamburg and its seven branches throughout Germany. The new recruits are starting their training and study periods in six apprenticeships and three dual-study programs. For the first time, Still is also supporting the dual-course of study in Computer Engineering & IT Engineering.

In the coming weeks, the students will get their first insights into the different professional and learning environments, participate in team-building activities, get briefings on the current safety and prevention standards as well as attend a one-week forklift construction seminar.

"The training of qualified new talent has seldom been as important as it is at the moment," emphasises Jan Wehlen, training manager at Still. "We need competent, smart and innovative skilled employees to successfully meet future business challenges ranging from energy and sustainability to new technologies in the field of automation and robotics. 

“At Still, we are very aware of this responsibility - but also of the great opportunity for qualified specialists to help shape the future of our company and the industry as a whole. Accordingly, training young talent is a top priority for us." 

Still regularly receives awards for the high quality of its training. As part of the 'Hamburg's best training companies' certification, Still was awarded the top score of five stars for the seventh time in 2020. The company's own retention rate also speaks for itself: all 36 graduates of the class of 2022 have been offered a job or a postgraduate position at the company.

Meanwhile, JCB has created more than 150 new jobs for apprentices and graduates with an GBP8 million (USD9.2 million) investment in its early careers program. 

The new recruits started their jobs this week as JCB focuses on training the next generation of manufacturers, engineers, and business specialists. 

JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald says: “JCB’s future growth and success depends on recruiting and training new talent. JCB always plans for the long term and that is more important than ever as the business goes through a period of rapid growth. We are delighted to welcome our new apprentices and graduates as they embark on challenging and rewarding careers.”

JCB Group HR director Max Jeffery says competition for places on the JCB apprenticeship and graduate schemes is always fierce and this year attracted 2,000 applications. 

“We set the bar very high when we recruit people and many JCB apprentices in recent years have gone on to win national awards, which is testament to the quality of the schemes we run. Our new intake of apprentices and graduates will play a fundamental role in shaping this business in the future,” he says.