Being strong for others

The HASSLACHER Group’s apprentices show social responsibility

83 apprentices are currently training in 7 different vocations at the HASSLACHER Group's sites in Austria and Germany. For us at the HASSLACHER Group, this not only involves passing on knowledge but also to assume responsibility for these young people, to help them with their development and to support them. Similar to the forestry industry, our employees take care of future generations and make sure these “saplings” receive lots of attention and care, in order to invoke in them a passion for the valuable raw material that is wood.

In the spirit of “Stark für andere” (literally “strong for others”) and outside of their conventional training, the HASSLACHER Group's apprentices are therefore given the opportunity to engage in projects for social organisations across sites. In the context of these projects, they are able to develop their social skills outside of the company, but also acquire knowledge in project management and presentation techniques.

Together with the seniors living at the Möllbrücke day centre, some of them came up with the idea of creating memory games from wooden emojis, for instance.  Cooperating with apprentices from other regional companies, HASSLACHER's apprentices then independently developed, planned and implemented the project. The simple game allows the seniors treated at the facility to express their feelings without having to speak. Thus, it significantly contributes to the therapy of the guests treated at the Möllbrücke day centre and our apprentices were not only able to see, but also feel the seniors’ joy when they handed the games over to them.

Drauhofen Palace offers an ideal space for future apprentice projects. To kick the project off, the HASSLACHER apprentices put a fresh layer onto the so-called courtyard classroom and designed an outdoor fireplace. Thus prepared, nothing now stands in the way of apprentice workshops and events at Drauhofen Palace. True to our motto “From wood to wonders.”