Career paths
My journey from apprentice to team leader
In our series "Career paths", employees from various departments give an insight into their professional careers. Our colleague Melvin completed his apprenticeship as a chemical technician at Mankiewicz in 2019. Today he is a team leader in the disposition department.
Apprenticeship with a goal in mind
It was already evident during school that I wanted to pursue a career in the natural sciences and quickly get started in practice. After graduating from high school, I applied for an apprenticeship as a chemical technician, and was able to experience everyday working life in production through an internship at Mankiewicz. I immediately noticed that as a chemical technician you are close to the product and can work independently.
During my apprenticeship, I set myself the goal of later helping to shape the further development of a department as a team leader. During my apprenticeship, I took the chance of various production departments' assignments to build a broad network.
As an apprentice in the USA
I was particularly pleased when Mankiewicz supported my wish to spend professional time abroad. During my apprenticeship, I went to the Charleston site for three weeks to work in production.
The contact with my colleagues on-site was an extraordinary experience. I was invited to a colleague's party on the first evening and quickly felt welcome in the team overall. The personal contacts I made at that time still help me today in the cooperation between the worldwide locations.
Hands-on after the apprenticeship
After my apprenticeship, I worked in the material planning department - most recently as deputy team leader of the department. In the meantime, I have taken over my own team. It makes me happy to encourage and challenge the employees and support them when they face challenges. Every day, new tasks await us for which a solution must be found - and I have always enjoyed looking for answers . The common goal of constantly improving the processes of the department as well as the company makes for a good team spirit.
Overall, it's great to observe that the company is constantly growing, and you can see how it is continuously developing. I regularly set myself new goals that I want to achieve. In a company that is always on the move, there are always new opportunities for this.