VERBUND opens LernWerkStatt Donau in Ybbs

After almost 18 months under construction, a modern apprentice facility with flexible training rooms has been completed on the site of the Danube power plant Ybbs-Persenbeug. In a ceremony, Minister of Labour Martin Kocher, Provincial Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner and VERBUND CEO Michael Strugl handed over the new building for its intended purpose in the presence of many guests and employees. VERBUND invested more then 12 million euros here in the expansion of the in-company training facilities for its “power plant operators”.

“Apprentice training is a central educational pathway for skilled workers in Austria and continues to enjoy great popularity. It is noted for its immediate practical relevance in the business environment while imparting theoretical knowledge at the same time. In order to constantly improve the attractiveness of the apprenticeship, measures put in place by the federal government, and above all initiatives set in motion by companies, are extremely important. VERBUND is doing precisely this with the LernWerkStatt Donau and sending an important message through the modernisation of its training location. Worthy of special mention is the inclusive design of the apprentice accommodation, which aims at enabling barrier-free access to people with disabilities,” says Minister of Labour and Economic Affairs Martin Kocher.

“The apprentices of today are our skilled workers of tomorrow and thus the future of the economic location. With the construction of the new LernWerkStatt Donau in Ybbs, VERBUND is setting new standards in the training of skilled workers. This pioneering building represents an innovative learning environment that enables the apprentices to reach their full potential. It makes a sustainable contribution to our country’s success by equipping young talent for the challenges of the modern working world and thus strengthens the sustainability of our domestic economy,” says Provincial Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner.

“Training our own skilled workers, producing real power plant operators, is part of our conviction and our success, and impacts many areas – from plant availability to promising innovations. The LernWerkStatt Donau is also proof of how important apprenticeships are for the economic location. Well trained skilled workers are increasingly a factor of location and competition for companies; at the same time, the sound education they receive guarantees a working life filled with many opportunities and positive development options. Our special thanks therefore go both to everyone who chooses to undergo training at VERBUND and to everyone at VERBUND who is committed to training and to making the apprenticeships a positive advertisement for Austrian success, which is the envy of many,” says VERBUND CEO Michael Strugl. 

Managing Director of VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH Karl Heinz Gruber:
“Constructed in under two years, an inspiring place of education and encounter has also been created here in the vicinity of the revitalised Danube power plant Ybbs-Persenbeug. With this future-focused investment in the LernWerkStatt Donau, we have made a clear commitment to our own apprentice training, in order to be ideally prepared for times of increasingly skilled labour.

Managing Director of VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH and group apprentice officer Michael Amerer:
“We are proud about the successful modernisation of our apprenticeship and training site. With the LernWerkStatt Donau, we have created a place whose inviting design forms the ideal place for young people to embark on professional life. We thus emphasise the high value of our unique approach to the training of skilled workers, which will continue in the years to come.  

Modern apprentice lodgings and training centre

A park-like campus connects the apprentice workshop to the new lodgings. Zones of communication and retreat offer contemporary levels of comfort in combination with 42 single rooms, including three wheelchair-accessible rooms. The room design also allows seminars to be held for training and development measures throughout the company. A multipurpose event hall offers space for up to 200 guests. The ground floor was built as a solid concrete construction. The two floors above that are sustainably executed in a timber construction.
Both the training staff and the apprentices were included in the planning. Short distances and an efficient arrangement of the rooms fulfil the needs of the users. The main task was to create an optimal learning environment that offers a pleasant atmosphere for individual and group study. 

Book presented on apprentice training at VERBUND

Over 76 years of apprentice training, a total of more than 2,700 apprentices have been trained in the workshops of VERBUND and its predecessor companies. The new book “Wir gestalten Zukunft” [We shape the future] contains numerous specialist contributions ranging from the beginnings of in-company training at Austria’s oldest Danube power plant at Ybbs-Persenbeug to the current challenges that today’s world of work poses for apprentice training.