Training at HOCHTIEF

A joint start on the construction site

Ergün Cinar is doing a 3.5-year education as a mechatronics technician at HOCHTIEF.

Ergün Cinar dispels a prejudice right at the start. "No, mechatronics engineers are not only found in automotive workshops. They are also needed on the construction site. We are something like the equivalent of the famous Swiss army knife here: a kind of jack-of-all-trades who combines the IT'ler, locksmith and electrician in one person," explains the native of Gelsenkirchen. After all, Cinar (born in 2000) needs to know: Since summer 2021, he has been completing a three-and-a-half-year apprenticeship as a mechatronics technician at HOCHTIEF. Right at the start, the young man met Ilias Metaxas (born 1998). The half-Greek grew up just a few kilometers away from Cinar in Gelsenkirchen; he is being trained as a construction equipment operator. For the duo from the Ruhr region, the new construction of the A40 Rhine bridge near Duisburg was their shared first job site. The place where they met. And - as Ergün Cinar laughingly recalls - the place where "trainee meets work."

Young learns from old—and vice versa

Trainee meets trainee: Ergün Cinar (left) and Ilias Metaxas (right) are a well-coordinated team.

Some time has passed since then. Time in which both men have been around. Metaxas first went to Heilbronn, and he is currently working on the expansion of the A7 in Hamburg. After a stop in Frankfurt (expansion of the S-Bahn line 6), Cinar is currently assisting with the construction of the new company headquarters of Continentale Versicherung in Dortmund. Their experiences are as varied and diverse as their workplaces. Ilias Metaxas dispels a prejudice: "A construction equipment operator doesn't sit around on his machine all day waiting for instructions. I'm an active part of the construction site, first operating the wheel loader, for example, then instructing a truck, then controlling the track excavator and making sure no one runs under the crane." In addition to the classic hands-on part of the training, there is the theoretical scaffolding, which is also done on site, but also by the vocational school (block teaching) and by external institutions such as the TÜV. Ergün Cinar adds, "I think it's primarily the wide range that distinguishes a mechatronics job like mine at HOCHTIEF from a similar task in a factory." He adds that a big plus is the family life on the construction site. "Everyone takes something from everyone there. Young learn from old - and vice versa."

Contact person for the "newcomers"

Ilias Metaxas is training to become a construction equipment operator and is enthusiastic to operate track excavators and wheel loaders.

Cinar and Metaxas have another thing in common: Both came to us through people who were already working at HOCHTIEF. In the case of the prospective construction equipment operator, it was his brother who arranged an internship for him at a HOCHTIEF construction site in Stuttgart. "What I experienced in the three months there was right up my alley," Metaxas recalls. Cinar, who in his own words has always had an enthusiasm for all things technical, was provided by a good friend with the most important information about training at our company. Ergün Cinar is now continuing this little "tradition": He works voluntarily as a youth training ambassador for the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and in this capacity goes to schools and reports on his work there. At HOCHTIEF, the soon-to-be mechatronics engineer is active in the youth training representative committee, a kind of "works council for young people" to whom they can turn with their questions and problems.

Looking forward to the future

Both have a fantastic view of the Continentale construction site in Dortmund from the outside elevator.

At the time of the interview, Ergün Cinar and Ilias Metaxas had already completed a large part of their training. So it's natural to look ahead. Their plans, wishes and ideas are as varied as their training: "I really enjoyed my time on the various construction sites around the country. But after that, I'd like to have a permanent job in the same place. Or, as they say, settle down," Metaxas emphasizes. His colleague is aiming for further training, possibly as a technician with a bachelor's degree. His dream is to become a construction manager one day. HOCHTIEF will support Ergün Cinar on this path. After all, it is just as true for companies as it is for do-it-yourselfers or ordinary consumers: Once you have experienced the advantages of a Swiss Army knife, you will never want to give it up.