people
Fit for MTU Maintenance Serbia with job training programs
MTU has special training programs to prepare skilled workers at MTU Maintenance Serbia for their jobs at the new MTU repair facility in Stara Pazova and introduce vocational school teachers from Serbia to dual-track training at MTU in Munich.
07.2022 | author: Nicole Geffert | 3 mins reading time
author:
Nicole Geffert
has been working as a freelance journalist covering topics such as research and science, money and taxes, and education and careers since 1999.
Do your apprenticeship at MTU
To develop, manufacture and market outstanding engines, a company must have outstanding employees. From taster and student internships to a dual work-study program or industrial training—MTU offers just what you’re looking for. And the best part is you don’t even have to wait until you graduate to get to know MTU. Do a student internship, apply for a summer job or try a work taster internship. The sooner you get on board, the higher you’ll fly. So come in. Stay on. Work your way up.
Apply now:
Students – MTU Aero Engines
When the first-year apprentices bustled into the training shop at MTU Aero Engines in Munich last fall, they were surprised to be joined by two trainers: Milan Lukic, 26, and Marko Matovic, 28, introduced themselves to the group as instructors from the Technical School in Stara Pazova, the town near Belgrade where MTU is setting up its new repair facility, MTU Maintenance Serbia.
The two young and highly motivated instructors spent four months learning how MTU provides successful hands-on training to its new apprentices. They are part of a “train the trainer” scheme that aims to spread the philosophy of the popular German dual-track training system, which combines an apprenticeship in a company with vocational learning. “This approach is essential to giving people the fundamental technical knowledge and skills they need to work in a high-tech industry like aviation,” says Johann Triebenbacher, who heads up the Training Center Serbia and On-the-Job Training subprojects at MTU.
Dual-track training of skilled workers gets underway
In 2019, MTU and the government of the Republic of Serbia signed a declaration of cooperation in which they agreed to work together closely on a dual-track training system for skilled workers. This agreement aims to ensure that the curricula used by vocational schools meet the specific requirements of the aviation industry. “The train-the-trainer program provides the basis we need to get hands-on training underway in Stara Pazova,” says MTU trainer Johannes Lapperger, who is in charge of the program. Step by step, Lukic and Matovic learned all the different aspects of their new role as trainers; they also acquired new skills in operating the machines in the training shop, and successfully created their own training plans in German—an impressive feat. “Everything else was communicated in English, which worked perfectly,” Lapperger says.
Top-class training requires cutting-edge equipment. Fortunately, the vocational school in Stara Pazova is currently being kitted out with a modern training shop, which will include various machine tools from MTU Maintenance Serbia. “We’re setting up 16 training places there, which will include turning and milling machines, lathes and tools,” Triebenbacher says enthusiastically. It’s hard to imagine a better environment to provide hands-on training to the next generation of MTU engineers. A total of 12 budding machinists and industrial mechanics specializing in welding technology began the theoretical part of their course in Stara Pazova last September as part of the first year of their dual-track program.
Plenty of experience in training their colleagues
The recently recruited skilled workers who are currently starting their careers at MTU Maintenance Serbia already have a solid educational background. “We’re lucky enough to have some highly skilled Serbian colleagues on board who are motivated and eager to learn,” Triebenbacher says. To prepare for their specific duties at the new MTU repair facility, the workers will undergo several months of on-the-job training with the production and maintenance teams at MTU locations in Munich, Hannover and Ludwigsfelde.
“Our task is to get our Serbian colleagues up to speed with our processes and provide them with all the skills and expertise they need,” says Jutta Trimmel, who heads up repairs at MTU Maintenance Hannover together with Dr. Hinrich Becker. “We already have a lot of experience in training up colleagues because we’ve trained skilled workers from other MTU locations at various times in the past.” Nevertheless, they’re still keen to develop and introduce new ideas. One example is the “pit stop training course” developed for future inspectors at MTU Maintenance Serbia; this aims to increase the trainees’ knowledge of engine parts by giving them hands-on experience in a separate area of the shop that is not visible from the rest of the production area.
We asked some of the instructors and skilled workers at MTU Maintenance Serbia to tell us about their training at MTU:
“My job at the new MTU repair facility in Stara Pazova will be to teach apprentices how to work with specialist tools and show them how to use various pieces of equipment including milling, drilling and turning machines. To do that, I’ll be drawing on methods that have already been successfully tried and tested at MTU. During my training at MTU in Munich, I picked up lots of new skills—for example learning how to use those machines and how to operate pneumatic systems. Aviation is something I fell in love with as a child. I always admired people who worked in aviation, and I was desperate to discover how it all worked! I began by studying aerospace engineering at the University of Belgrade, and I stayed on there until I completed my Master’s degree in 2019. I’ll do my best to make sure that MTU Maintenance Serbia benefits from all the expertise and knowledge I’ve accumulated.”
Trainer and instructor at the Stara Pazova Technical School
“Working with MTU experts and learning from them has been a valuable experience. It’s such an outstanding team, and MTU is simply world-class in its field! Everything is so professional and perfectly organized; the working environment is fantastic—and that makes learning a pleasure. My training covered multiple areas, including manual and mechanical processing of materials using tools, turning, milling and drilling machines, cutting and bending machines, NC and CNC machines and much, much more. I’ve always been a fan of aviation and mechanical manufacturing. I did my Master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Belgrade—and now MTU is giving me the opportunity to pursue both my passions in a role that combines aviation and mechanical manufacturing. I’m really looking forward to giving people the training they need to do their jobs at MTU Maintenance Serbia.”
Trainer and instructor at the Stara Pazova Technical School
“I’ve always been fascinated by the power and the sound of an engine. I completed my studies at the University of Belgrade with a Master’s in aerospace engineering—and now here I am working as an inspection engineer at MTU Maintenance Serbia! I learned a huge amount from our on-the-job training, for example how to work with optical 3D measurement technology on high-precision coordinate measuring machines and how to make use of manuals during repairs and inspections. I was particularly impressed with the new precision technologies used at MTU Maintenance. These make it possible to diagnose any non-conformities in a part as accurately as possible so that they can be corrected, thereby increasing the engine’s service life. It’s also been great getting to know colleagues from different MTU sites and seeing how they work. I’m looking forward to working with people at MTU Maintenance Serbia who are true professionals in their areas of expertise.”
Inspection engineer at MTU Maintenance Serbia
“I studied aircraft mechanics at the Aviation Academy in Belgrade before joining MTU Maintenance Serbia. The goal of my on-the-job training at MTU Maintenance Hannover is to prepare me for my new job as a Level 2 inspector for NDT, or nondestructive testing. My work will also require plenty of other skills, including a careful attention to detail, a clear understanding of the processes involved, active learning, problem-solving strategies and sound judgement. My colleagues at MTU are incredibly helpful; they were always on hand during my training to support me and share their expertise, and my whole training schedule was organized really well. There are so many different paths a career could take, so I find it really impressive that MTU Maintenance Serbia has given me such a clear picture of what my future here could look like. If I do a good job and MTU is pleased with my work, then I’d like to take on more responsibility and additional tasks further down the line.”
Inspector at MTU Maintenance Serbia
