ÖBB expands Graz training workshop to take 125 apprentices

Austria’s Federal Railways, ÖBB, has expanded its training workshop in Graz to accommodate up to 125 apprentices, ORF reported. The facility previously had capacity for 64 apprentices.

The expansion, carried out since March at a cost of 1.7 million euros, added 640 square metres. The new space includes laboratory and training rooms, computer rooms, an electrical laboratory and staff common rooms.

Workshop head Mario Nachtnebel said the increased capacity would give more young people the opportunity to begin an apprenticeship while also providing training in skills needed by industry.

The Graz facility is also using 3D scanners in its training programmes. In some fields, computer aided design would require too much effort, Nachtnebel said. 3D scanning offers a quick and simple alternative, allowing an object to be scanned and reproduced in a short period.

The expanded workshop can accept about 20 additional apprentices each year. Infrastructure Minister Peter Hanke of the Social Democratic Party described the new ÖBB training year as a year of superlatives during a visit to the Graz facility.

More than 720 young people began apprenticeships with ÖBB across Austria at the start of September, Hanke said. Around 2,400 apprentices are now in training across the group, the highest number so far.