Onboarding Provides Orientation and Team Spirit for the Current Class of 22 Trainees
Lohne/Saerbeck, 17 August 2026 – Orientation, interaction, and team spirit were the focus of the annual orientation days for EnviTec Biogas AG’s apprentices. Seven young people have begun their apprenticeships at the Lohne and Saerbeck locations for the new training year. Two of them had already been working as assistants at the biogas all-rounder since January and are now continuing their career paths with an apprenticeship to become skilled workers.
“Our onboarding process has been very well received by our new team members,” says Jan-Carlos Grote-Gartenschläger, training manager at EnviTec Biogas AG. The HR expert is now organizing the three-day welcome event for the fourth year in a row. “With a total of 22 trainees, we have a stable workforce. At the same time, we have further developed our training structures and improved the quality of our curriculum frameworks,” says Grote-Gartenschläger. As a result, the company is confident that it can offer an even better training program for this year’s training start on August 1 and will continue to be perceived as an attractive training employer in the future.
The latest figures also show that the investment in EnviTec Biogas’s new training strategy—which has been rigorously implemented since 2023—is paying off: “This year alone, we can report seven successful training completions—something we’ve never achieved before,” reports Grote-Gartenschläger. Five of the seven newly trained specialists were subsequently hired on a permanent basis. Through its commitment to training, the biogas all-rounder is making a targeted investment in its own next generation of skilled workers—and is thus taking a stand against the ongoing shortage of skilled workers.
In addition to the high number of successful completions and the strong retention rate, the training manager also highlights the diversity of the training programs. With a total of nine different career paths—including plant mechanic, industrial clerk, and warehouse logistics specialist, among many others—EnviTec Biogas offers a broad spectrum of entry-level opportunities. In doing so, the company not only sustainably strengthens the training and recruitment of skilled workers at its locations in Lohne and Saerbeck, , but also underscores the professional diversity within the approximately 700-member EnviTec team.
From Support Staff to Apprentice
For Anastasiia Musiienko, a native of Ukraine, the orientation days marked a special milestone. She started as an assistant in the administrative department at the beginning of the year. Thanks to her impressive performance and dedication, she was offered the opportunity to undergo retraining to become an industrial clerk. Kristian Braier began his apprenticeship as a warehouse logistics specialist with equal enthusiasm. “I’d already gained some initial experience in this field as a warehouse assistant,” says the Ukrainian native. “Prior knowledge can make getting started easier, but in my experience, it’s not a prerequisite,” says Tom Nolte, a prospective plant mechanic. For him, the decisive factor was the team, which the 21-year-old got to know during a multi-day internship: “The family-like atmosphere convinced me to start an apprenticeship as a plant mechanic at EnviTec Biogas.”
After an orientation day covering information about the respective apprenticeship and dual study programs, a team-building event in Ostbevern was on the agenda. There, the new apprentices and dual students met all of the company’s young professionals. Together, they tackled various team challenges, including building a raft.
Opportunities for Tomorrow’s Skilled Workers
The orientation days concluded with a visit to the production site in Saerbeck. There, the participants gained insight into plant construction, accompanied by a presentation by Jakob Falkenstein, Managing Director of EnviTec Plant Construction, followed by a tour of the facility.
Olaf von Lehmden, CEO of EnviTec Biogas AG and head of human resources, offers a positive assessment: “More than 60 successfully completed apprenticeships over the past 23 years speak for themselves: Our consistent commitment to developing young talent is a key reason why we are able to successfully address the shortage of skilled workers that is evident in many places. As an innovative player in the biogas industry, we will continue to rely on young talent trained to a high “ ” standard—which is why we continuously invest in their development and create opportunities for the skilled workers of tomorrow.”
