Vocational training at VTG
Whether you are looking for an apprenticeship, a dual study course or an internship, VTG lays a firm foundation on which school leavers can launch a successful career.
Would you like to get a glimpse of the world of work as part of a school internship? Or are you soon to finish and looking for a company that can offer you first-class vocational training with varied assignments – perhaps even in combination with a study course? Would you like to work in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere?
Then you have come to the right place! At various locations in Germany, we offer a wide range of study and vocational training options. You can thus prepare yourself for a career as an industrial manager (m/w/d), a forwarding and logistics service manager (m/w/d), an IT specialist with a focus on systems integration (m/w/d) or a construction mechanic (m/w/d). Alternatives include courses of study to earn a bachelor of science degree: Examples include business administration, industrial engineering and business informatics. During your training, you will be accompanied by fully trained VTG staff who will encourage both your professional and personal development. Visits to customers, workshops and factories, participation in trade fairs, trainee projects and a host of other events will make your vocational training a genuinely enriching experience.
Even when you have completed your training, VTG might still be the right place for you: We are always keen to retain the long-term loyalty of good trainees, so we will show you suitable career prospects from an early stage and work with you to chart a fulfilling course to your future.
Take a look at our Instagram channel “VTG_youngtalents” to find out more about what we have in store for you.
Dual study courses at VTG
Classroom and practical training alternate on a regular basis, allowing you to put into practice what you learn at college or university. By the time you complete your studies, you will have both an academic degree and initial vocational experience. That makes you the ideal candidate to continue your career within the VTG Group. And throughout your studies, you will naturally receive a compensation package that gives you financial independence.
From controlling to human resources: Business administration courses give you a broad foundational education that opens the door to a number of different areas. VTG delivers its dual business administration study course in cooperation with NORDAKADEMIE. For the duration of your three-and-a-half-year course, practical work will alternate with phases of theoretical instruction. The content taught at the college can be applied immediately during the practical work phases. Regular feedback meetings also give you the chance to develop focal areas in the practical phases, thereby involving you in shaping your future career at VTG from an early stage.
Duration of study: 3.5 years (7 semesters)
Practical phases: VTG, Hamburg
Theoretical phases: NORDAKADEMIE, Elmshorn
Learn more about our dual study course in business administration
Anna Sophia Bielecki, business administration student (dual) at VTG:
It was important to me to have a practical partner that was big enough to be able to show me as many different departments as possible during the practical phases. VTG is Europe’s biggest privately owned wagon leasing company, so it certainly fits the bill. Working at the departments, I experienced a lot of exciting assignments – from supporting training courses and other events to trying my hand at IT projects to even writing several of my own articles for our employee newspaper. I was given a deep insight into the everyday routine at various departments. I was entrusted with special assignments, so I was always able to contribute my skills and abilities. In some projects, I also had the chance to work together with VTG staff at different locations, which made my work even more interesting. Based at the head office in Hamburg, I was thus able to get a clear overall picture of this international company.
In the dual study course at NORDAKADEMIE, you also have the opportunity to spend a semester abroad and gain your own international experience. Beyond that, VTG attaches great importance to various events and trainee workshops to cultivate close contact and lively dialogue between the trainees and dual students across different intake years. Whenever I had any questions about VTG or NORDAKADEMIE, older and former students were always there to give me advice and practical assistance. So far, that has made it so much easier to find my feet as I began my career.
As information technology permeates every aspect of the modern economy, demand is growing for employees who have a solid grasp of both IT and business administration. These are precisely the skills taught in the business informatics dual study course. Theoretical tuition phases familiarize you with technical and commercial issues, teaching you to design and implement suitable solutions. The practical phases at VTG then give you the chance to participate in exciting IT projects and get to know various departments within the company. Here, you can put the theory you have learned into practice.
Duration of study: 3.5 years (7 semesters)
Practical phases: VTG, Hamburg
Theoretical phases: NORDAKADEMIE, Elmshorn
Software engineering is the focus of the applied informatics study course. Tuition provides a theoretical knowledge of design, modeling, engineering and quality assurance for complex software systems. During practical phases, you can apply and implement what you have learned in the context of exciting IT projects. The various departments vary the focal issues addressed – for example with regard to the programming languages used.
Duration of study: 3.5 years (7 semesters)
Practical phases: VTG, Hamburg
Theoretical phases: NORDAKADEMIE, Elmshorn
The industrial engineering course combines commercial and technical knowledge. Students’ activities range from the planning, validation and improvement of technical processes to commercial assessment of these processes. Graduates from this study course can be deployed in many areas at the interface between technical and commercial issues. At VTG, you will gain an insight into many different parts of the company. At the end of your studies, you will therefore have a comprehensive picture of the Group and its business processes. The practical phase of the course includes a three-week stay at Waggonbau Graaff and a two-week deployment at Waggonwerk Brühl.
Duration of study: 3.5 years (7 semesters)
Practical phases: VTG, Hamburg
Theoretical phases: NORDAKADEMIE, Elmshorn
Dauer des Studiums: 3,5 Jahre (7 Semester)
Praxisphasen: VTG, Hamburg
Theoriephasen: NORDAKADEMIE, Elmshorn
Lasse Ziemann, industrial engineering student (dual) at VTG:
VTG is made up of a broad spectrum of different departments covering lots of different technical and commercial topics. That is an excellent match with my interdisciplinary study course, because I can apply what I have learned in different areas. The practical phases are useful to add depth to the theoretical content I am learning and apply it to the company’s routine workings. Instructors are always on hand to provide support, and regular dialogue is crucial in advancing my personal development.
In addition, visits to VTG’s workshops give me the chance to add to my skills on a practical level. And the practical phases are complemented by the many issues we study at NORDAKADEMIE, so you really get a broad basis. On an international level too, the option of a NORDAKADEMIE semester abroad is a great way to gather new experience.
This dual study course combines vocational training as a construction mechanic for steel and metal (m/w/d) with an academic bachelor of engineering degree in construction technology. In the initial phase, you are familiarized with working with metal as a material and with conventional machinery at our partner company in Alfeld and at Waggonbau Graaff. At the same time, lectures are delivered from the first through fourth semesters. On completion of vocational training for the skilled trade, your full-time studies begin at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HsH). Extensive practical phases concretize your understanding of theoretical insights at HsH.
Duration of study: 3.5 years (7 semesters)
Vocational training venue: Waggonbau Graaff, Elze
Higher education venue: Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HsH)
Vocational training at VTG
At our German workshops Waggonbau Graaff (in Elze, near Hanover) and Waggonwerk Brühl (in Wesseling, near Cologne) and as part of our RailTrain program in Hamburg, we provide vocational training for skilled trades as construction mechanics (m/w/d) and plant mechanics (m/w/d). Both pathways provide a profound insight into wagon building and/or wagon repair. The trainees receive intensive instruction in the various stages of production and maintenance.
Industrial managers work at companies in virtually every industry, and their work is accordingly varied. A knowledge of business administration enables you to support all processes within the company. Your assignments can range from purchasing to sales to finance and accounting. At VTG, your training as an industrial manager (m/w/d) will present many exciting challenges that teach you to assume responsibility, take the initiative, build your confidence and develop your communication skills. During the vocational training, we will also develop your language skills, team spirit and understanding of quality.
Duration of training: 3 years (can be shortened)
Venues: Hamburg, Elze
Vocational school: Teaching blocks
Kiara Lohmann, apprentice industrial manager at VTG
What I like most about my apprenticeship as an industrial manager is that I get to experience every department in the company. They have shown a lot of trust in me and given me plenty responsibility from day one. Right from the outset, I was able to independently oversee my own projects and provide valuable support to my colleagues. That has constantly given me the feeling of being an important member of the group.
Switching between different areas of work makes the training especially fascinating for me. It makes my work very varied and helps me understand how each part of VTG fits together. There is also a strong practical element, because we apprentices get to accompany our colleagues on visits to the workshops. Here we learn about the details of wagon technology and get a feel for the products we concern ourselves from day to day. I really like having several people I can contact at any time, and there are lots of events for us as apprentices, as well as events we ourselves can organize. I am excited to see what else I will learn in the future and look forward to taking what I learn at the vocational school and putting it into practice at VTG.
Forwarding and logistics service managers are entrusted with a varied and exciting array of tasks around the handling of freight transport. During your training at our Rail Logistics and Tank Container Logistics business units, you will discover the capabilities of the individual modes of transport, get to know the special provisions that apply to hazardous goods logistics and familiarize yourself with the relevant laws, rules and regulations. Delivering warehouse, transport and transshipment services and assessing their cost demands organizational talent and commercial understanding on the part of the trainee.
Duration of training: 3 years (can be shortened)
Venues: Hamburg, Bitterfeld, Chemnitz, Berlin, Duisburg
Vocational school: Teaching blocks
Shawn Martinssen, apprentice forwarding and logistics service manager at VTG:
I began my apprenticeship during the coronavirus pandemic and was pleasantly surprised at how VTG dealt with this exceptional situation. From the very start, I had the feeling that the health of the employees commanded top priority, and that the company was well prepared to work with trainees despite the circumstances imposed by mobile working arrangements. It was obviously a pity that I could not be present on the premises for a large proportion of my introductory phase. However, I do not feel that I am at a disadvantage compared to trainees from the previous year, because the whole thing worked really well online.
Operational tasks such the planning of single-wagon and block train turnarounds are some of my principal assignments. But the other departments also give me an insight into the sales unit and the activities of VTG’s railway company Retrack. Alongside these exciting hands-on activities, VTG also provides other advantages such as corporate benefits and the subsidized HVV ProfiTicket commuter travel pass. All in all, I am very happy at VTG and look forward to my ongoing challenges and assignments.
Stay ahead of the curve: During your training as an IT specialist (m/w/d), you will plan and configure information and communication systems and translate specific technical requirements into complex hardware and software applications. You are the person others contact if IT problems arise. You advise and train people and introduce new IT systems. Other key tasks include troubleshooting, remedying errors and handling general IT security. As a trainee IT specialist at VTG (m/w/d), you will do stints in departments such as network administration, technical support, the data center and the IT organization and projects units.
Duration of training: 3 years (can be shortened)
Venue: Hamburg
Vocational school: Training blocks
Kevin Fiedler, IT specialist for systems integration at VTG
I work on lots of different assignments in my capacity as an IT specialist for systems integration. At customer support, I help our people to solve a variety of problems. In this context, I get to know the everyday problems faced by our employees. They pass them on to our IT department via different contact channels.
We administer a constantly growing network of global sites fitted with large numbers of servers and clients. Each area has its own specialists: We have specialists for Exchange Server, Terminal Server, client management and the service desk, for example, as well as virtualization and security specialists. I have done a lot of different things and gained a wealth of experience here, from configuring clients to setting up employees’ systems to managing servers around the globe.
As a digitalization manager (m/w/d) you are responsible for a varied and exciting portfolio of assignments. You are, for example, involved in developing IT solutions, you monitor compliance with ever more important data protection guidelines within the company, and you play your part in support in the event of software and hardware problems. The commercial side of this apprenticeship involves aspects such as designing contracts. You also analyze data models and the resultant interdepartmental interfaces, and you are responsible for the digital improvement of business models. During your training as a digitalization manager (m/w/d) at VTG, practical assignments including participation in IT projects will teach you communication skills, team skills and the ability to work independently.
Duration of training: 3 years (can be shortened)
Venues: Hamburg, Elze
Vocational school: Training blocks
Ausbildungsdauer: 3 Jahre (Verkürzung möglich)
Ausbildungsort: Hamburg, Elze
Berufsschule: Blockunterricht
Construction mechanics (m/w/d) work in many areas of the metal industry. As an apprentice construction mechanic (m/w/d), you will learn all the basics of filing, sawing, drilling and milling in the trainee workshop. During your training at the wagon building workshop, you will, for example, gain an insight into how wagons are made. You will spend time in each production department, playing an active part until the finished product rolls out of the yard for delivery to the customer. The sheer diversity is unlimited: You will encounter everything from tank cars to grain wagons to special transport solutions. Both Waggonbau Graaff and VTG in Hamburg have special workshops where trainees can work on their skills and abilities and prepare in good time for their exams.
Duration of training: 3.5 years
Venues: Elze near Hanover (Waggonbau Graaff GmbH), Hamburg
Vocation school: Part-time tuition, teaching blocks
Plan mechanics (m/w/d) – the people who produce, expand, convert and service industrial plant and equipment – are indispensable to the metal industry. At Waggonwerk Brühl, your apprenticeship will introduce you to every aspect of the maintenance and servicing of tank cars and freight wagons. Machining pipes, sheets of metal and profiles is also part of your job description. Right from the start of your apprenticeship, you will be actively involved in achieving the overriding goal of getting damaged wagons or wagons that need inspection back on the rails as quickly as possible.
Duration of training: 3.5 years
Venue: Wesseling near Cologne (Waggonwerk Brühl GmbH)
Vocational school: Teaching blocks
As a warehouse logistics specialist (m/w/d), you will assume a variety of responsibilities, accepting goods, checking them, storing them properly and regularly inspecting inventories. You will compile consignments and delivery itineraries, as well as loading and dispatching goods. You will also be involved in optimizing logistical processes. Overall, you will thus learn the art of optimized warehouse management.
Duration of training: 3 years
Venue: Wesseling near Cologne (Waggonwerk Brühl GmbH)
Vocational school: Teaching blocks
School internships
Maybe you do not yet have a clear idea about your future line of work? Given the sheer multiplicity of training options and job descriptions, that is no wonder. The best way to gain an insight into a profession or a company is therefore to do an internship.
Whether you want to complete a business internship prescribed by your school or are looking for a voluntary internship, we will gladly give you an overview of our industry and the exciting challenges that await you at our company. Our trainees will serve as mentors, supervising you and letting you accompany them during your internship. Besides gaining an insight into our day-to-day business, you will thus also experience the operational routine of VTG’s apprentices.
VTG RailTrain
- One year of basic training at the Blohm+Voss trainee workshop in Hamburg
- Practical work as part of our Mobile Service team
- Insights into how our wagons are built
- Active involvement in the various production departments and facilities
- The possibility of permanent employment at our VTG workshops or in the Mobile Service team
- Certificate of secondary education
- An interest in working with metal
- Motivation
- Ambition
Duration of training: 3.5 years
Venues: Training workshop in Hamburg, stays at the VTG workshops in Wesseling (near Cologne) and Elze (near Hanover)
Vocational school: State Vocational School for Steel Construction and Mechanical Engineering (G1)
Learn more about your apprenticeship as a construction mechanic (m/w/d)
Alongside a great working atmosphere and varied assignments, a whole series of additional benefits await you:
- A notebook for the duration of your studies/apprenticeship
- The option of a deployment abroad in response to good performance
- The chance to be involved in shaping exciting trainee projects
- Optimal transport links
- Flexible working hours
- The option of mobile working arrangements
FAQs for schoolchildren/school leavers
Once you have found an apprenticeship or study option that appeals to you among the vacancies listed on our Careers page, the application process is very simple: Click the link in the advertisement, take a few minutes to enter your personal data and then upload your documents. We will get back to you shortly afterward.
Depending on the apprenticeship or study option, your application documents should normally include a cover letter and cover page, your résumé, school reports (your school leaving certificate or your last two reports), any relevant certificates and internship certificates. Do you have any special skills or knowledge that you would like to contribute to your chosen apprenticeship? Then please let us know in either your cover letter or your résumé!
One important note for those who choose a course of study at NORDAKADEMIE: To do so, you will need to complete an aptitude test for the course you have selected. Please complete the test on the NORDAKADEMIE website, unlock the results so that VTG can access them online and add the certificate to your application documents.
