Racing is a state of mind.

The question Paul Keller has been most absorbed with in the last few days is that of his life motto. It’s understandable: he is at the start of his career, just 20 years old, and his view of professional and private life has not yet fully developed. In the end, his answer is very simple and suits both fields: “Racing is a state of mind,” the enthusiastic karter affirms. “It fits in every sense and reflects my passion for cars and racing as well as my engagement in my apprenticeship.“

The professional goal of this apprentice at Bertrandt in Leonberg is to become a technical product designer. What you need above all for this is good spatial thinking paired with technical understanding. He is perfecting both at the moment – together with 26 others in his class – in the course of an 18-month basic training course. After this, he will go to the technical centre in Ehningen to get to know various specialist fields such as power train, chassis and bodywork better. “In this you can find out what direction you want to go in the future. It is also good that you are able to give your own personal preferences, which will be fulfilled as far as possible.”

Already today, during general training, he often works closely together with his colleagues on the practical side. This ensures that he is given diverse practice projects from various fields as the perfect preparation for the time after his apprenticeship. This runs from creating project plans, through developing components through sketches and CAD work to functionality testing. “It is all very much comparable to the daily challenges faced after the apprenticeship and is the best possible preparation,” Paul Keller confirms.

It is also great fun. “On the one hand, because the atmosphere among us apprentices and with other colleagues in the company is extremely positive. And on the other hand, because we are very close to the practical side here and are at the very future of mobility.” Practical relevance is enormously important for him, having noticed over a year of studying vehicle and motor technology that theory – “... and above all maths” – can quickly get boring. After all, that is why he has come to Bertrandt, a place where the unusually convivial atmosphere already impressed him during the applications process. And naturally also because of the practically unlimited possibilities to work with and achieve results for the big brands in the automotive field. This is why Paul Keller is sure that he is in pole position for his future at Bertrandt.

Like being part of a family.

Büsra Pinarci is a family person, and that is perhaps why she came to Bertrandt. Because already directly after her application – at the assessment centre – she was impressed by the familial atmosphere. “I was very flustered by the selection process – but immediately I felt content,” she says, describing her first intensive contact with the company. This first impression has not changed after more than a year as an apprentice at Bertrandt. Through her good relationships with her colleagues in the specialist departments and with the other apprentices, she still feels like part of a big family. “Everyone is there for everyone else: you can always find support when you need it.”

Her condensed training to become an industrial clerk will last in total two and a half years. And during this time, Büsra will do both practical and class work, being deployed in many different departments of Bertrandt Holding, for example TQM – Total Quality Management. Quality management encompasses many subjects, from corporate security to construction projects and data protection. And she has also had exclusively positive experiences in other departments too, such as personnel marketing and personnel development. “In contrast to many other pupils in my class, who are working in different companies, I have been able to get to know many departments at Bertrandt in person. This is a great help in deciding what I want to do after finishing my training.”

And there are good chances that her wish to stay at Bertrandt will be fulfilled. “I have heard that nearly everyone is taken on after training, if they want. And I do want, definitely,” she laughs.

This would not just be a pleasure for this future industrial clerk, but also for her colleagues. Because now and then, Pinarci brings back delicious baked goods like baklava, börek or pogaca from her parents’ home country, Turkey – either baked by her mother or her herself.

“In a way, I already live between two worlds. When I visit my family in Turkey, I miss my friends and colleagues here – and when I’m here, I miss my family. So I don’t have just one home.”

Always giving the best.

Thirza Delater works the same in her apprenticeship and private life: not loud and brash but thorough and reliable, efficient and team-oriented. You can see this in her hobbies: in bouldering, that is rock-climbing indoors without safety ropes and double floor. And also in her violin playing, where she clearly also wants to avoid any disharmony – as in the workplace. Thirza is an apprentice with the goal of becoming a technical product designer at Bertrandt after the apprenticeship period. And in this field, it is particularly important to take care of the details, make as few errors as possible and develop yourself constantly. Her basic setting is to take on every challenge and give her best – in work, music and climbing.

“The special thing about apprenticeships at Bertrandt is that we are already able to work on exciting projects within the specialist departments during the 18 months at the training centre in Leonberg,” the apprentice says. Alongside specialist knowledge, they also learn in Leonberg how to work together efficiently with the different specialist departments, and what the bases of successful teamwork are. This variety of topics and tasks in daily work and the famous high quality and breadth of Bertrandt training sessions was also the main reason why Thirza opted for an apprenticeship at the firm.

Every day is different, every project has new requirements for the 27 apprentices who started in Leonberg in September. After the kick-off, with the project description and briefing, the first thing to happen is the creation of a project plan, before starting with the sketches for the new component or optimisation of an existing one. If all goes well, it’s on to CAD construction. “I had no previous knowledge of sketching, nor of working with CAD. But you learn quickly here.” Here, what is important is not just design but also technical considerations, functionality and finally the benefit for the customer. That is, it is about making the future a little better with every development. And that is why it pays always to give your best.