Managing Director Giulia Zanderighi (center) presenting the certificate to Amanda Baßler and Rainhard Kastner (Photo: B. Wankerl/MPP)

Managing Director Giulia Zanderighi (center) presenting the certificate to Amanda Baßler and Rainhard Kastner (Photo: B. Wankerl/MPP)

Award for MPP mechanics apprenticeship program

The Max Planck Institute for Physics (MPP) has once again been honored for the high quality of its training. The mechanics apprenticeship program received a prize of 7,500 euros for ‘outstanding achievements’ in vocational training.  

Since 2007, the Max Planck Society (MPS) has honored up to three training institutions each year for innovative training concepts, cooperation with external partners or possible additional qualifications. A selection committee made up of four trainers and one member each from the General Works Council and the General Youth and Trainee Representative Council decides on the award winners.

The 2024 award went to the MPP's industrial mechanics apprenticeship program, which is led by Amanda Baßler and Rainhard Kastner. This is the third time that the Max Planck Society (MPG) has awarded the quality of the mechanical training - the last time it received the award was in 2018.

The key criteria for this year's award were the workshop, equipped with modern machines and run in a highly professional manner, as well as the excellent support provided by the two trainers.

Successful training at the MPP 

In addition, each year up to 20 individual trainees can receive a 750 euro prize from the MPS for outstanding professional and academic achievements and special social commitment. In the mechanics training program, Samuel Dick received this award in 2018 and Amanda Baßler in 2014.

As well as the industrial mechanics training program, the MPP also has an electronics for devices and systems program. Two trainees there have also won the trainee award so far. In 2020 it went to Valentin Schaller and in 2022 to Pascal Kunert. 

Vocational trainees in both branches of the institute regularly achieve excellent results: To date, all of the more than 120 trainees have successfully completed their training, most of them with above-average results. After passing their exams, the young professionals have the opportunity to gain valuable initial experience at the MPP and, thanks to the excellent training, attractive career opportunities are also open to them outside the institute.

With the prize money from the 2024 Trainee Award, the Mechanics Training Workshop plans to purchase a robotic arm for the trainees to immerse themselves in the highly relevant field of robotics.