First host nation apprentices start education at USAG Wiesbaden

Photo By Nadine Bower | WIESBADEN, Germany - Host Nation employees Maleeha Shah (left) and Pierre Fuchs are the first two apprentices in the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Apprenticeship Program.  

WIESBADEN, HESSEN, GERMANY

09.20.2021

Story by Nadine Bower 

U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden   

WIESBADEN, Germany - U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden’s first two Host Nation apprentices reported to their first day of work Aug. 30 on Clay Kaserne. Maleeha Shah will spend her first six months at the Military Personnel Division in the Directorate of Human Resources, while Pierre Fuchs is working for the Directorate of Public Works.

Thomas Schulze, DHR Workforce Development Program Manager said that the program is a good opportunity to train new professionals. "The 3-year apprenticeship program provides on-the-job training as well as a professional education at a vocational school," Schulze said.

Both apprentices attend vocation school in Wiesbaden every Tuesday and Wednesday. The rest of the week, they work at USAG Wiesbaden.

With this model, the garrison can train new qualified team members according to the specific needs. “There are currently hardly any qualified workers on the market. We can fulfill our mission better if we train our workers ourselves and with this, we can adequately replace our own experts who are about to retire,” Schulze said.

The content of USAG Wiesbaden’s first edition of the apprenticeship program is being developed together with the first two apprentices on board. “We allow the apprentices to spend time in other divisions, so they can see what else is out there and what else they can get trained in. The decision about their later focus is made in the third year,” Schulze said.
“I will grow with the process,” said Fuchs. He also said that the fact that the Army offers the apprentices a 2-year job guarantee after they pass their final exam was one of the deciding factors for him. “I don’t know of any other trainee who is offered such an opportunity,” he said.

“I’d like to look at everything before I make up my mind,” said Shah. She said she was feeling a bit overwhelmed on her first day: “The Army likes to use a lot of acronyms. Ranks are going to be difficult to get used to. I don’t want to address somebody with a wrong rank. I definitely have a lot to learn.”

The impulse for the apprenticeship program was given by USAG Bavaria, where the program has already been implemented for several years. “The region down there is very rural and it is very difficult to find qualified personnel there. Therefore, they train their own personnel with such an apprenticeship program. This has sparked the idea to implement this program here in Wiesbaden,” said Schulze.

A total of 20 applicants applied for a position in the USAG Wiesbaden Apprenticeship Program, which is led by Schulze and DHR Workforce Development Program Specialist Lena Stange. Both have laid the groundwork for the program to start off this year and are currently working on expanding it. “Now we are looking for new positions for trainees. If a directorate is interested in hosting an apprentice, they can contact us,” said Schulze. However, only HN applicants are eligible for the program.

Both trainees still have almost three years left until their final exam and they are looking forward to learning about the different areas and aspects of USAG Wiesbaden. “I did not even know that something like this existed in the Army and I am very happy and thankful for this opportunity,” said Fuchs. “It’s exciting and cool.”

• Date Taken: 09.20.2021
• Date Posted: 09.20.2021 08:31
• Story ID: 405588
• Location: WIESBADEN, HESSEN, DE