INTERVIEW WITH APPRENTICES: MEDIA DESIGN

Apprentices at Halfar - Apprenticeship as a digital and print media designer

In the second part of our series "Apprenticeships at Halfar - Trainees interviewed", we introduced you to Julian, who has been training as an industrial clerk since August this year. In this article, we introduce you to Jacqueline. She is in the final stages of her training as a media designer and will be taking her final exam in January.

We asked her how she came to HALFAR®, what impressions she has gained over the last two and a half years and what she will do after her training:

Jacqueline, why did you decide to do an apprenticeship after school and not go to university?

I just didn't feel ready to go to university. In my opinion, you have to really want to do it and be passionate about it, otherwise studying will be really difficult. An apprenticeship therefore seemed to make more sense to me, also because I would be able to gain a lot more practical experience and get to know company structures better. That was important to me.

How did you hear about an apprenticeship at Halfar?

I did some research on the internet via the Federal Employment Agency and that's how I found out about Halfar.

How long do you expect your apprenticeship to last?

I am now in my third year of training. However, I am shortening the apprenticeship due to my previous training as a design assistant in graphic design (GTA in graphic design for short) and am expected to finish in January 2018.

What were your first impressions at Halfar?

A very open-minded and collegial atmosphere. I felt comfortable right from the start because everyone is very communicative and helpful.

What activities have you been able to learn and apply so far?

I myself work almost exclusively in graphics and have learnt just about everything in terms of graphics. Using Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, to name the three most important programmes. I was recently trained in digital printing and got to know and work on our standard machines. Apart from that, I was able to gain a good overview of the processes in our sales teams, as well as individual processes in the warehouse. The fact that Graphics works closely with Product Management and Marketing every day means that I also get a lot of input here.

What ideas do you have for the future at Halfar?

Fortunately, I can say that I will be taken on at Halfar after my apprenticeship, which makes me very happy. I simply hope that I will then be able to contribute even more and look forward to tackling new projects.

Apprenticeship as a digital and print media designer (m/f/d) at Halfar in Bielefeld

What have you liked most so far?

The fact that I was quickly assigned tasks that I was able to complete independently and on my own responsibility. I very quickly felt that I was no longer just a trainee here who, as in bad clichés, was supposed to make coffee or play the errand boy, but was directly integrated into everyday working life. After a short time, many colleagues no longer saw me as a trainee, which makes you very proud.

What have you liked least so far?

As I'm only the second trainee in the graphic design department, until a few months ago there was unfortunately no organised induction plan like there is for trainees in other departments. We have now worked this out together so that future trainees can familiarise themselves with all departments at Halfar in a timely manner.

What makes Halfar a good training company?

As already mentioned, I think the working atmosphere here is great. Everyone has an open ear and helps where they can. In my opinion, Halfar has a very familiar atmosphere (despite its size) and almost everyone is on first-name terms, which makes it all the easier to address problems or suggestions for improvement. You are quickly integrated and I think the annual incentives for further team building between different teams are a great idea. You get to know your colleagues on a completely different level and can also make a few friends.

Thank you very much for this interview, Jacqueline! We wish you every success in your final exams!

More about apprenticeships at Halfar