see. think. act.

2018

#ZFtrainees

Central Event in Viktorsberg

Min Reading Time
Tags: TraineeCommunity, Careers, Events
In the 15-month ZF Global Trainee Program, participants will become acquainted with work at ZF, rise to the challenges of a daily work routine, apply the knowledge gained during studies to successfully complete international projects and start a promising career at a highly-innovative automotive company.
Omkar Pattanshetti, April 27, 2018
author_image
Omkar Pattanshetti is from the cultural city Pune in India. He studied mechanical engineering from MIT College of Engineering in University of Pune.
Hey there, I am Omkar from India. It’s Thursday today and you know what we do on Thursdays - #TBT i.e. Throwback Thursday. So today I’m gonna throw it back in October 2017 and the first central event of our trainee program. Let’s go back to 8th October 2017. As all the trainees were staying in the same hotel in Friedrichshafen, some of us gathered and went for a short tour around the Bodensee.

In the evening we all gathered at the bar in the hotel, and this was the first time that all of us – the twenty-one trainees from seven different countries – met each other. After the formal photoshoot in ZF Forum on 9th October, we all drove to Viktorsberg to begin our orientation week. Karin had it all planned very well.
As soon as we reached the hotel in Viktorsberg, our first task was to cook the dinner for ourselves. By dividing the responsibility in smaller groups we made it through. It was fun!

In this orientation week, we did a lot of sports activities and some indoor activities to get to know each other better. That is the best part of this trainee program!
The cherry on the cake was when the trainees from the former batch visited us. We played some fun games to make our interaction joyful. Not to mention, we partied ‘till it was late in the night!
After a wonderful week filled with sports, some of us spent the weekend sightseeing in nearby places, and a few German trainees took a trip home.

Then the real work began on Monday 16th October. The whole batch of trainees was divided into two groups for joint projects: Industry 4.0 and E-Axel. Presentations from the project originators for these joint projects were scheduled on that day. After the projects were assigned to the groups, our Project Management training took place. During this training we learned about different methods and tools of project management. It was not a conventional, boring lecture series; rather, it was a package of activities with interesting way of learning.

At the same time, both project groups were preparing presentations that we gave in front of our respective steering committees on the last day of the central event. I am proud to say that both groups did a good job!
In the end, we left this wonderful gathering with a strong bond amongst ourselves and excitement towards upcoming challenges in the joint projects!