For companies, this means they have to create attractive offers to attract and retain young talent. We asked around within REWE Group and asked trainees and dual students: What do you particularly appreciate about your training at REWE Group?

„Sebastian Hötzel“Retail sales assistant, 2nd year of apprenticeship (school-leaver programme), REWE Center Mannheim-Sandhofen, 28 years old "As a high school graduate, I decided to do an apprenticeship at REWE because the shortened training period as part of the high school graduate programme really appealed to me. You learn an incredible amount, you can quickly take on responsibility yourself and - if everything goes well - you can finish your training in a year and a half. What appeals to me above all is the diversity of this job on a day-to-day basis, from the various ordering processes to customer contact. Every now and then there are situations where you are thrown in at the deep end, which always helps me to grow and become more independent. I hope to have a long-term perspective at REWE after my apprenticeship and to be able to stay here."

„Eric Majhofer and Nelly Fischer“both 1st year apprentices, toom Baumarkt DIY store Wittenberg Eric: "I was a trainee for six months and enjoyed it so much that I decided to do an apprenticeship at toom. Now I'm looking forward to finally getting started! I'm looking forward to lots of new things and hope to be well supported during my training. And I hope that there will always be a colleague there to answer my questions."

Nelly: "After several trial days at different companies, I realised that I really liked it at toom! A week later, I signed the training contract. I'm particularly looking forward to working with nice customers and great colleagues. I hope they'll show me everything - from the panel saw to the colour mixing machine. A forklift licence would also be great!"

„Jana Sipkova“Trainee at REWE International AG "After completing my studies, I specifically looked for a practice-oriented trainee programme that offered more than just positions in the various departments of an administration. I also wanted to gain experience abroad. The International Management Trainee Programme offers all of this. It starts with a practical phase of several months in the store, during which I learnt a lot about the requirements in the shops at both BILLA and PENNY. This was followed by placements in different countries, where I always had the opportunity to have a say in what I was working on. At the same time, I had regular feedback meetings with our Programme Managers from Strategic HR in Austria. We also discussed my future plans within REWE Group at an early stage. As a result, I am already slowly being prepared for my future role as a project manager in the Strategy department at the headquarters in Wiener Neudorf."

„Janek Kwost“Trainee in the Abiprogramm, PENNY Region West / Duisburg (2nd year of apprenticeship) "What makes my apprenticeship so special is the informal atmosphere in the company, the many different activities that PENNY offers us trainees and, of course, the wide range of knowledge that I've been able to pick up from my shop and from my seminars. The coolest highlights of my training so far have been the trainee store, where we trainees were allowed to run a shop independently, and working in the PENNY store at the Parookaville festival. We were able to exchange ideas as trainees, celebrate together and take on a lot of responsibility. I was very impressed that we were given a lot of freedom and that we were trusted to manage the stores completely independently and to contribute our own ideas."

„Ian Wilson“Retail sales assistant, 2nd year of apprenticeship (school-leaver programme), REWE Rauenberg, 23 years old "I started working at REWE in 2017, back then as a temp. After my A-levels, I went to university, but I realised quite quickly that it wasn't my world. So I did what I always liked doing anyway: I continued to work at REWE and decided to do an apprenticeship here. I am very happy with this decision. The shortened training period in the Abitur programme ensures that we learn and work in a very practical way. Here you see the results of your own work every day and have a lot of customer contact - that's what I enjoy most. What I particularly appreciate about REWE as an employer is the opportunities for further training, the flexibility in shift planning and the family friendliness. Of course, benefits such as the employee discount are on top of that. After my apprenticeship, I would like to continue working here and complete my retail management qualification so that I can manage a shop myself one day."

„Stefan Hollenberg“toom Baumarkt DIY store Duisburg-Kasslerfeld, 3rd year retail trainee "I decided to do an apprenticeship at toom Baumarkt DIY store because the work here never gets monotonous. Every day, different customers come in with new, interesting questions - for example, how they can improve or repair their own homes. This makes my day-to-day work very varied and offers me new challenges every day. For the rest of my training, I hope to familiarise myself with even more specific areas so that I can guide even more customers to their desired product more quickly and effectively."

„Kevin Saibert“dual student in the Mobile Systems / Customer Self Service team at REWE Systems "As a dual student of business informatics at REWE Group, I have the ideal conditions for successfully completing my studies. On top of that, it also means I have good prospects of gaining a foothold in one of Germany's largest IT companies and developing sound professional expertise. What do I enjoy most about my work? First and foremost, the team I'm part of! On the one hand, it helps me to test out my preferences and, on the other, I actively support the realisation of various projects. It's fun, helps me move forward and if I have any questions, there's always a sympathetic ear for my concerns."

„Annika Risch“Trainee tourism agent for private and business travel, 2nd year of apprenticeship, at Dertour Reisebüro in Waldkirch "I was looking for an exciting, varied apprenticeship and decided in favour of Dertour Reisebüro. Not least because I felt safe under the umbrella of the parent company REWE Group - even though travel agencies have been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Another big plus point for me was that Dertour Reisebüro supports the trainees with two information trips so that they can advise customers better.

I deal with a variety of different people every day and also get to know different countries and cultures. This makes my training varied and diverse and is very helpful when providing advice. It never gets boring. My goal for my further training: I want to delve even deeper into the world of travel so that I can give my customers the best possible advice."

„Maxine Schmacks“21, dual student at Lekkerland (Bachelor's programme in Retail Management) "I started my dual study programme at Lekkerland in August 2020. Parallel to my bachelor's degree in retail management, I started an apprenticeship in wholesale and foreign trade management (specialising in wholesale), which I completed in June of this year. During my practical phases, I gain insights into various areas and departments at Lekkerland. The great thing about it is that I can supplement my theoretical knowledge with valuable practical experience.
I immediately felt at home here. It started with the uncomplicated and quick application process and continued when I got to know the HR contacts who coordinate my training and my studies.
I particularly like the fact that everyone at Lekkerland treats me like a fully-fledged team member, even though I have only just completed my training. All the teams have integrated me very quickly and well, and senior managers and colleagues value my opinion."

„Benita Scheppke“Office management assistant, PENNY Region North / Norderstedt (2nd year of apprenticeship) "My apprenticeship at PENNY is very diverse and varied. You go through many different departments at PENNY in two, two and a half or three years and get to know the whole Group. Thanks to the varied training programme, I am constantly being shown and explained new ways of working and programmes. I have felt welcome in every department so far and there has been a lot of laughter. What makes the apprenticeship at PENNY special is the friendly atmosphere: you get to know many different colleagues during the apprenticeship and some professional contacts even turn into private friendships. I would therefore always choose an apprenticeship at PENNY again!"

„Charlotte Frische“Apprentice tourism clerk for private and business travel at DER Travel and Tourism in her 3rd year of training "Where do travel offers actually come from? How is a travel package created for the customer? I've been interested in this for a long time: The product's journey from many individual parts to an unforgettable trip for the customer. And so I decided to train as a tourism agent.

It's something very special for me to be part of a customer's travel experience. After all, everyone looks forward to going on holiday. I don't have a visual sense of achievement like a carpenter, for example, where you can see the finished work at the end. But I'm happy when the customers have had a nice trip.

As I change departments every three to four months, I get an insight into the entire company. You're well integrated into the team and what's going on. We trainees at DER Travel and Tourism are allowed to take on a lot of responsibility in the departments. That's a great feeling, but of course it's also a big challenge: you don't want to make any mistakes. But I can always turn to the team with any questions or problems and always get good support and advice.

One of the highlights of my training was the hotel assignment in Madeira. I worked at reception there for six weeks and experienced the direct customer contact that I don't have in my day-to-day work. I had already worked abroad before my apprenticeship and am always curious about new cultures and ways of working.

In the first two years of my apprenticeship, I have already gained a good overview, learnt what interfaces there are, how the departments at DER Travel and Tourism work together and how important communication is. I am currently in my seventh department, Content Management. For the rest of my apprenticeship, I hope to continue to enjoy my work and get to know more departments so that I can start my third year with a lot of knowledge and experience."

„Patrick Vollweider“Retail salesman specialising in logistics at toom, 3rd year of apprenticeship "During an internship at toom in Bernburg, I realised how much I enjoy working with customers. The special thing about my apprenticeship is that I have a great team around me. Not only do I learn a lot from my colleagues, I also feel very valued as a person. At the moment, my main wish is to complete my apprenticeship in the best possible way."

„Joanne Heinemann“Trainee Dertour travel agency, Essen "Training as a tourism clerk is an exciting apprenticeship in many respects. I particularly like the fact that no two days are the same. I always have something different to do - whether it's advice on a family trip to Greece or Spain, for example, a seat reservation, catalogue orders - the range is wide and colourful.

I also enjoy the mixture of office work and working with people. Some days I have a lot of personal consultations, on others I'm more busy with phone calls and emails. I really enjoy doing both. As every customer is different, no two consultations are the same - even if it's about the same target area. I learn a lot about different types of people and how I should deal with them.

I also like the school part: my general knowledge is refreshed, I learn a lot for life and of course I get to know many destinations in great detail. A great addition to my daily work in the office.

Looking back, I can only say that although the tourism industry has suffered a lot from corona, Dertour Reisebüro has taken good care of us trainees - for example with training courses and webinars."

„Jonathan Pohl“22 years old, dual student of business informatics "Basically, I like the concept of the dual study programme. At REWE Systems, there is also the fact that a semester abroad is a compulsory part of the programme. That was an important argument for me to start my dual study programme here. The REWE Group cooperates with the Cologne Business School for the dual study programme, where it is compulsory to go abroad in the fifth semester. I was then able to study in Vancouver for a semester. Since starting at REWE Systems in 2019, I have familiarised myself with different areas, from assortment management to checkout processes. I'm currently working on my bachelor's thesis on the store planning process with virtual reality in real time. After that, I would like to do my Master's while working. REWE Systems is also supporting me here - including financially with a budget for the tuition fees."