Did you know that most of us spend nearly half their waking hours at work? That’s why it is all the more wonderful when colleagues become friends!

We apprentices usually start forging friendships during our vocational education at the BZE (Training Centre for Retail). These new relationships are shaped by the many rounds of “getting to know you” activities in class, informative group work, learning together, and through different group activities that promote group dynamics.

During this phase, our initial nervousness already begins to fade and we quickly discover parallels between ourselves and other students and colleagues that we didn’t know about before. Some colleagues have already met before because they work in the same showroom or are apprenticing together; others know one another from the assessment centre. Because of these acquaintances, even the fellow students and colleagues who meet for the first time at the BZE have some common topics for conversation.

That’s how it was for a colleague from Hamburg and me. We were both lucky to meet at the BMZ and be assigned to the same class.

Outside of class, we studied together for our exams at the BZE, exchanged tips, wrote study notes and quizzed one another on the material. During our free time, we often did things with the class, went to the cinema, to the Christmas market in winter, or just explored the city. Even though she lives in Hamburg and I work at the Wempe showroom in Stuttgart, we maintain regular contact and visit one another as often as we can in our free time.

Today I am happy to call her one of my best friends, who is also going through the exciting training time side by side with me, and with whom I can share the great experiences and events.

This is why both the BZE and the company Wempe are very concerned with laying the foundations for communication and cooperation among colleagues during the first hours of the first day of school. That way, colleagues and fellow students form friendships that live on beyond school and work.

Wempe ensures that colleagues connect not only during their studies at the BZE. We apprentices can always look forward to seeing each other again at one of the many training events and seminars, for example manufactory trips, sales trainings or visits to trade fairs.

Thanks so much, Wempe!