Franco-German exchange in sight

On June 8 and 9, our two employees Sonja Thommes (Integration Counseling) and Mathieu Ratajczak (Staff Quality & Development) traveled to Sannois near Paris to visit the Lycée Professionnelle Saint-Jean and to gain a new partner for the exchange of trainees. The suggestion for this came from ProTandem, a Franco-German agency for exchanges in vocational education and training, which coordinates and accompanies around 3,000 participants in over 50 occupational groups every year.

Our two colleagues were very kindly welcomed by Mrs. Lelong-André and her colleagues and during the two-day program they were guided through the carpentry workshops and the campus of the institution (sports facilities, boarding school). In the evening, too, they sat down together over a delicious French meal in an inn to discuss cooperation further.

It was quickly agreed that our two institutions are very well suited for an exchange of carpenters. For example, our carpenters would benefit from the French Lycée's expertise in marquetry, which is their specialty. In addition to discovering the carpentry profession in the other country, other goals of the exchange are to expand professional skills and get to know different cultures. For our trainees, exploring the city of Paris will be a highlight. A two-week stay in the respective other country is planned for the exchange. We will already start the first internship in October this year.

Once again, we would like to thank the Lycée Professionnelle Saint-Jean and especially Mme Lelong-André for the kind reception of our colleagues and are already looking forward to working together!