Umicore trainee honored as best surface coater in Germany

The success of Mika Jost from Umicore in his final examination to become a surface coater was honored at a ceremony held by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) at the ECC Estrel Congress Center in Berlin. Jost is not the only one pleased with the recognition; his trainers are also proud. "Such achievements are a nice reward for our commitment," says a delighted Silvia Neuhaus, Head of Training. Jost, in turn, is happy that he can also give something back with his good performance: "Umicore has really excellent specialists who actually take a lot of time to impart theoretical knowledge to the trainees. There is also good teamwork, where it is easy to contribute ideas and apply what you have learned in practice."

The fact that the company has once again helped a trainee to achieve this success in just six years and has received various awards for the area speaks for the high quality of training at Umicore. In fact, the company attaches great importance to training. This is also reflected in a training rate of over 10%. According to the company, the monetary and time investment has been paying off for years - and in times of a shortage of skilled workers in particular, as Head of Human Resources Steffen Barth emphasizes. For Mika Jost, it quickly became clear that he wanted to continue his studies in the field of surface technology and new materials due to his great interest in the training content. In order not to lose the practical relevance, he will remain with Umicore as a working student. Even after successfully completing his studies, the company will be his first point of contact for continuing his career in the field of electroplating, which he believes will become increasingly important for future technologies.