On the weekend of 15 and 16 September 2023, apprentices from all 26 locations and various apprenticeship years - with their trainers and management in tow - met in Cologne. Their goal: to get to know each other better and spend time together..

In keeping with the saying "The early bird catches the worm", they set off from Eislingen, Ulm, Metzingen, Munich, Schkeuditz and Borken at 4:30 a.m. on their way to Cologne. Once there, they set off on a walk together to the first destination of the day: the Chocolate Museum. Here, 5000 years of cocoa culture and chocolate history were described in detail and brought to life in the form of exhibits and even a chocolate factory - from the mining of the cocoa to the finished praline.

After an afternoon on their own, they met for dinner together in a relaxed atmosphere and pleasant weather - the perfect opportunity to network not only on a culinary level, but also between people. The apprentices used the rest of the evening to explore Cologne's lively city center.

The main topic of the following Saturday morning was the apprenticeship at Salvia Building Technology - values, objectives, rules of conduct and safety instructions were presented to the apprentices at this information event by the management and, in some cases, by apprentices in higher apprenticeship years. In addition, the best apprentices of the past year were honored and rewarded with a certificate and a prize.

Overall, this weekend in Cologne was a valuable opportunity for the trainees to grow both professionally and personally and to network with colleagues from different locations. The combination of culture, education and team building helped to emphasize the importance of collaboration and company values.

We look back positively on this event and look forward to another instructive year!