My name is Tobias Weiser. I am an inspection engineer for hydro power stations at Voith Hydro. Prior to my direct entry to Voith I studied mechanical engineering according to the "Ulmer Modell" and thus also completed an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic. After finishing my studies in the year before last, I attended several international projects, one of them in Switzerland, where I worked in one of Europe's most advanced hydro power stations.

Being prepared to travel all over the world is a prerequisite for my job. Most of my everyday working life takes place outside Germany, but this is exactly what I like. My work on site gives me a good understanding of the interaction between the individual components of a hydro power plant. And I enjoy traveling to other countries. Of course it is not always easy to communicate within a multi-cultural team. But in the end we all tow the same line and pursue the same goal - to successfully start the plant, so that power generation can begin. In order to overcome language barriers, I even learnt Portuguese for a larger project. Voith offered to send me on a three-week intensive course in Portugal, where I acquired a good knowledge of the language in no time.

In fact, there is an enormous level of support from experienced colleagues right from the start. Alongside our development we are given more and more project responsibility, until we are able to carry out an inspection independently. And we also have a good opportunity to make worldwide contacts

My name is Vera Davydoff. I have completed an apprenticeship as an industrial administrator at Voith and was so impressed by the company that I stayed on. After finishing my apprenticeship I was hired as a materials controller for Voith Turbo Marine. Why I decided for this career path is quite simple: Voith is a global company and represented in Heidenheim with all of its four Group Divisions.

During my training I had an opportunity to get to know various areas and departments of the Group, and was able to find out for myself which areas I liked. This proved to be highly useful for my orientation in the job market and my entry into working life. Materials controlling is a very interesting and diverse job. It covers all activities around requirement planning, procurement, stock control, inventory, etc. Materials controllers are the interface to service, sales, purchasing, logistics and production - they are always up to date and in permanent contact with suppliers.

My name is Thomas Angstenberger. I started at Voith as a trainee, now I am a project manager for value analysis at Voith Paper. I am responsible for optimizing our products and subassemblies in cross-functional project teams, in order to meet the demands of the market and continuously rising cost pressures. A structured project progression and the strict application of methods are key elements of value analysis. A large number of projects have revealed that costs can be significantly reduced without sacrificing quality, and that the competitiveness of the products can be considerably increased. The project portfolio is wide-ranging. The complex paper production process incorporates many disciplines and makes my job very diverse. The continuous exchange with technical specialists is both interesting and motivating. The excellent working climate makes teamwork easy and creates a good basis for project success.

Hello, my name is Tommy Schmid. I started at Voith as a trainee and I also wrote my diploma thesis at Voith. Now I work as an industrial engineer in the production planning department of Voith Turbo Rail in Heidenheim. As a production planner I am responsible for the economical and on-time production of diesel drive systems for rail vehicles. The drive systems are based on the hydrodynamic principle, are used worldwide in a wide range of locomotives and special vehicles and ensure maximum operating safety and availability even under tough conditions. Alongside my daily planning tasks there are always new and exciting projects, which provide new challenges. At the moment I am working on the implementation of a new control concept for mechanical production on the basis of the "lean production" approach. The special challenge of planning lies in the technical complexity of the product, which is made in several stages with high production depth. In a highly motivated team and a professional environment, working at Voith is really rewarding.

My name is Elisa Wang-Ruehrnoessl. After graduating from the Voith Paper International Trainee Program in January 2010, I was offered the great opportunity to work as 'Build-up China' integration manager in Kunshan, China. In this position I work together with colleagues from various departments as well as different cultural backgrounds and get an insight in many of the company's processes. I support and align subprojects, analyze and monitor success and project risks and report to the top management.

Where else do you get the chance to take on so much responsibility in a strategic project in one of the world's most important markets as a newcomer?

I am an international trainee at Voith Paper. During my one-year training program I have looked after three projects at various locations in China and Germany. This gave me an opportunity to gain a deep insight in different working methods and the cooperation between different locations.

Alongside these projects I am working as part of the international trainee team on a task given to us by the management of Voith Paper. The challenge: making the best use of an intercultural team at various locations and organize the project independently.

"The experience gained within the international trainee program will prepare me for working in an international environment."

What I appreciate particularly is the excellent teamwork and the partnership among colleagues, as well as the openness and the support offered to me as a newcomer to Voith.

My name is Dominik Kodytek and I am a TRQM employee as well as a Site Manager at Voith Industrial Services in Esslingen. We deal primarily with infrastructural facility management, disposal logistics and many other areas. I am in charge of quality assurance, processing tenders as well as looking after our customers, and I also perform duties as Site Manager in our day-to-day business.

I started out as a DHBW student for industrial engineering with the focus on facility management. During my studies, the employees at the location looked after me extremely well, which helped me to gain a good insight in a wide range of tasks. I was allowed to apply and deepen the knowledge acquired during my theoretical learning phase directly in various active projects and was gradually given more and more responsibility. Most of my current duties are strongly oriented on the key subjects of my studies.

Looking back I can say that I received every possible support during my studies, and the experience of my helpful colleagues as well as internal training measures, have prepared me optimally for future duties. Thanks to the trusting and open approach of the people around me I was able to smoothly and quickly integrate into the team.

The highly practice-oriented training model, the trusting and constructive cooperation with the team, as well as having an opportunity to work independently, were the foundations for a successful career at Voith Industrial Services.

Owing to the wide range of tasks offered by a worldwide active company, there are always new opportunities for further training, whose attendance is expressly encouraged by Voith. For this reason I feel in good hands at Voith Industrial Services, also as far as my professional future is concerned.