Supporting and inspiring the experts of the future
Experience what you have learnt "in action" on site
Calm before the storm: The training documents for the 40 apprentices from Rapperswil-Jona Vocational and Advanced Training Centre are ready for them. (All images: Dennis Mettler)
"If I were you, I would write it all down, but that’s just a little tip from me", says Sandro Martorelli. The eight young people, all between 15 and 17 years old, follow his prompt and make notes on the various components of an industrial microscope in their task books. It is quite possible that they will face questions on this information later in the big quiz. Sandro Martorelli nods contentedly. At Brütsch/Rüegger Tools, he is responsible for "Product Marketing Measurement Technology". The fact that these young people are learning how microscopes work at the Brütsch/Rüegger Tools head office on 25 March is thanks to his commitment — because Martorelli has organised the measurement technology seminar for young people from Rapperswil-Jona Vocational and Advanced Training Centre. "This is the first time that we have not gone to the vocational school as part of this long-standing joint venture, and the students have come to us", he explains. A total of forty apprentices accepted the invitation to Urdorf and go through five practical items in five groups, all of which focus on measurement technology. In addition to an introduction to the world of microscopes, the course includes hand-held measuring instruments, SmartFactory Scan and Visio, peak to valley height and height gauges.
Committed to the next generation of engineers
The technical experts of today and tomorrow are trained at Rapperswil-Jona. On behalf of the Canton of St Gallen, the Rapperswil-Jona Vocational and Advanced Training Centre provides basic training to apprentices. Around 200 students attend the Vocational and Advanced Training Centre to complete the theoretical training section of their training course, a bridging year of study, a vocational school leaving certificate or an information technology school leaving certificate. The technical professions on offer include polymechanic, designer, plastics technologist, plastics processing engineer and draughtsperson specialising in architecture. The centre was established in 2002 following a merger of the Commercial Vocational School and the Business School KV Rapperswil and also offers various further education courses.
Don't just listen, join in
In the adjoining room , Peter Senn, an expert in measurement technology at Brütsch/Rüegger Tools, is leading the discussion on height gauges. He is very enthusiastic about the commitment of the young people. "They play an active part and ask good questions, which of course is very nice.” The girls and boys could hardly direct their questions to a better person, since Peter Senn has 34 years of experience in this segment. Sandro Martorelli, the organiser of the event, is also extremely satisfied with how the day has panned out. "Of course, nothing ever goes 100 percent according to plan, but the students were fully engaged and the topics we prepared were received very well.”
Take a closer look: At the "Microscopes” items, the young people learnt about how these precision devices work.
That's it for the calm: Sandro Martorelli (on the left of the lectern) and Stephan Allemann give a presentation on Brütsch/Rüegger Tools company to a "full house".
This is particularly true for the topic of the SmartFactory. The young people themselves gave their verdict by saying: "That was the topic we enjoyed most. It's cool to see what digital technologies can do today." This feedback did not surprise the management staff at Brütsch/Rüegger Tools either, since the SmartFactory showroom in Urdorf clearly demonstrates how state-of-the-art devices and a smart link can not only improve measurements but also simplify and accelerate the processes required to initiate them. It was precisely these "aha moments" that Brütsch/Rüegger Tools wanted to communicate to the young people during the seminar.
Peter Senn demonstrates the use of height gauges. And at the same time, has lots of questions to answer.
Christian Kipfer (picture left) and Deniss Davidovs demonstrate the exciting opportunities created by the Smart Factory.
Quiz to win
The end of the event in the early evening took the form of the big quiz, in which questions were asked about the information provided from all five items. And even though they had already been taking part in the event for hours by that point, the young participants also really enjoyed this final challenge. That was hardly surprising — support from partners meant that there were some great prizes on offer. Those who answered the most questions correctly could win high-quality measuring equipment from Sylvac, Mitutoyo and TESA. These were sponsored by the manufacturers, including training materials.
"How did that work again?” The quiz covered the knowledge provided from all five practical items.
For Sandro Martorelli, the next task is to evaluate the feedback forms that the participants filled out. This feedback will be used to improve the event, because the management staff all agree that this fantastic in-house event for young technical professionals simply must be repeated.
Finished! The seminar management staff believe the event was an complete success.