Lehre - learning by doing

In the transport and logistics sector, you can select between two interesting apprenticeship paths:

Forwarding Merchant
   - The organisation of transport and warehousing services
   - The selection of mode of transport, customs and insurance arrangements
   - Accounting, information and quality management
   - Customer advising, servicing
   - Simple processes in logistics management

Forwarding logistics professional
   - Working in logistics management
   - The costing of logistics services
   - Simple activities in logistics controlling
   - Customer advising, servicing
   - Performing presentations, basics of public speaking and methodology
   - Planning and monitoring work processes

With both of these training forms, it is possible to carry out double training. If you decided for that you would be qualified to perform two different professions in just four years!

CAREER PORTRAIT AND TASKS OF THE FORWARDING EMPLOYEE

A freight forwarder...

• plans, arranges, directs and organises goods transport with computer support
• decides upon the most favourable route
• acts as a travel agent in goods traffic
• finds out the best way of transport from his or her global viewpoint and worldwide organisation
• receives orders from customers and despatches the deliveries
• considers the customers' requirements and selects the appropriate form of transport
• maintains good foreign relationships and negotiates with international partners (correspondents), such as other international forwarding agents, transport companies, rail carriers, shipping companies, airlines, container services, parcel services or postal services
• takes into account the optimal, most favourable and fastest transport route, depending on the urgency and requirements of the customer
• calculates and provides a quotation to the customer for each of the transport methods named
• has a particularly good knowledge of customs formalities
• fulfils customer requirements in respect of meeting deadlines and the smooth handling of e.g. the shipment of hazardous goods
• selects the best routes and border crossing points for his or her customer and exactly observes customs, regulations, driving limitations, transport, packing or insurance conditions
• books ferries, wagons, ships or aircrafts

Language skills are of considerable importance in dealing with foreign countries, e.g. Great Britain, overseas countries, Italy or France. The forwarding company often offers foreign deployments to young and committed people. In this way, you can become acquainted with the language of the country, other cultures, lifestyles and working methods and expand your horizons.
So you can see: a forwarder is a specialist in many areas, the job is interesting and provides every amount of variety!

HOW DO I BECOME A FORWARDING MERCHANT?

Getting in
The obligatory 9 years of school education are a prerequisite.
We are also pleased to welcome those who are leaving the traditional AHS Austrian grammar school or BHS vocational school in their 10th or 11th school year.

The selection process

1. Written application with all relevant certificates to the GW branch closest to you by the beginning of February
2. Induction test (content: geography, mathematics, German, English, powers of deduction)  
3. Personal discussion with apprentice manager  
4. Apprenticeship contract signature with your parents  
5. Commencement of training in August or September (varies by region)
   

Prerequisites
- Sense of responsibility
- Mental agility and ability to work under pressure 
- Readiness for ongoing further training
- Organisational talent and commitment
- Geographical knowledge and commercial thinking
- Sociable team player
- Ability to express yourself well
- Interest in foreign languages

The training
The apprenticeship generally lasts for 3 years*:
- includes signing an apprenticeship contract with Gebrüder Weiss,
- means attending the vocational college in Mitterdorf, Braunau (theme-work teaching) or Vienna (ongoing),
- is concluded with a passed final apprenticeship examination (and/or with the end of the apprenticeship contract).

For those with AHS concluded university entry-level qualifications and AHS pupils (successful conclusion of the 8th grade) the training consists of
- either a 2-year training contract,
- or a 2-year apprenticeship including attendance at the Mitterdorf or Braunau vocation college (theme-work teaching) or Vienna and final apprenticeship examination.

* How much study time from school is deducted from the apprenticeship years?

Commercial college students:
3 school years successfully completed: 1 ½ apprenticeship years
2 school years successfully completed: 1 apprenticeship year

HAK graduates:
5 school years successfully completed: 2 apprenticeship years
4 school years successfully completed: 1 ½ apprenticeship years
3 school years successfully completed: 1 apprenticeship year

Note:
The periods deducted may vary from branch to branch.
For this reason, check the information at the location responsible for you.

VOCATIONAL COLLEGE

Apprentices from the Federal States spend 9 1/3 weeks in each year at the vocational colleges in Mitterdorf (accommodation is provided in the adjacent modern hall of residence, which is equipped with indoor swimming pool, gym, table tennis, minigolf and volleyball court. Mitterdorf is a vocational college that is known beyond the boundaries of Austria and which specialises in the training of forwarding merchants within the scope of the dual education system) and/or Braunau.

Obligatory subjects:
- Specialised business English
- Business/economics / correspondence
- Freight forwarding and transport
- Traffic geography
- Sales and consulting techniques
- Customs and foreign trade
- Informatics
- Political science
- Accountancy

APPRENTICESHIP CONCLUSION EXAMINATION

The apprenticeship is concluded with an apprenticeship conclusion examination by the regional chamber of commerce (written and oral).

Those qualified to sit this examination are:
- Freight forwarding apprentices during their third year of apprenticeship
- Apprentices who have concluded a shortened apprenticeship (HAK and AHS graduates etc.)

Are you interested in the job of forwarding merchant or forwarding logistics professional?
Would you like to learn more about training at Gebrüder Weiss?

Then go for it!
Get in touch with your local Gebrüder Weiss branch. The local apprentice managers will be delighted to provide answers to your questions and support you in terms of your training needs.