AnthonyTsai
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A. Lange & Söhne: Well trained for a secure future
All across Germany, thousands of apprenticeship positions will again remain vacant this autumn. It is becoming more and more difficult for many companies to recruit suitable candidates. A. Lange & Söhne’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid was all the more delighted to note the brisk interest in watchmaking as a profession. The Saxon watch brand’s new training year just began for 20 young women and men. They will be initiated into the secrets of Lange watchmaking artistry during a period of three years. Additionally, two apprentices signed up for training as toolmakers.
Well trained for a secure future
The new training year begins at A. Lange & Söhne
On 25 August 2014, 20 young women and men began their watchmaking apprenticeship at A. Lange & Söhne.
A white lab coat with the A. Lange & Söhne signature is mandatory – from the very first day. In the coming three years, the six young men and fourteen young women who joined the eminent manufactory on 25 August 2014 to become professional watchmakers will wear it every day. They will learn to assemble and repair mechanical movements, from alarm clocks and grandfather clocks to pocket watches and modern wristwatches. They will craft their own tools and at the end of their apprenticeships demonstrate their abilities by building a mechanical wristwatch.
A year has passed since they applied for their apprenticeship positions. Previously, at trade fairs and in internships, the youngsters had gained hands-on impressions of what watchmakers do at their workbenches. After passing a comprehensive aptitude test, they were able to sign their employment contracts in January 2014 and then focus on their school-leaving examinations. This long-term planning approach is an advantage for the company as well. Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid: “To manufacture our highly complex timepieces, we need qualified individuals. That is why we invest in in-house training, which allows us to define the benchmarks and the career milestones.”
Wilhelm Schmid is very happy with the new apprentices. “They are superbly schooled and highly motivated,” he adds. At A. Lange & Söhne, the aspiring watchmakers benefit from excellent working conditions in a separate building and guaranteed employment for those who achieve grade 2 or better.
The in-house watchmaking school of A. Lange & Söhne has been opened in 1997. Since then, more than 100 watchmaker apprentices, one engraver, and seven toolmakers have completed their training here. Registrations for apprenticeships that begin in 2015 are now being accepted. The first aptitude tests are scheduled for November.
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About A. Lange & Söhne
When Ferdinand A. Lange established his watch manufactory in 1845, he laid the cornerstone of Saxony's precision watchmaking industry. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly vanished. In 1990, Ferdinand A. Lange’s great-grandson Walter Lange had the courage to relaunch the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum per year. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and assembled by hand. In a period of just over 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne developed 49 manufacture calibres and secured a top-tier position among the world's finest watch brands. Its biggest successes include innovative timekeeping instruments like the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a regularly produced wristwatch as well as the LANGE ZEITWERK with its supremely legible, precisely jumping numerals. Meanwhile, both models have become icons of the venerable brand.
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2014-08-26 07:43:31
