“Lending a hand on the construction site and being able to say afterwards 'we built this together' is a formative, educational and very enjoyable experience”, says PORR CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss. Apprentice construction sites give young people the opportunity to be part of a team and experience real responsibility for the success of a project early on. The apprentics work on the construction site in addition to PORR’s experienced staff.
In Graz-Strassgang, a residential complex with six apartment blocks and a total of 29 residential units is being built on behalf of the developer BK IMMO Vorsorge GmbH. And one detached building in the complex, which is home to three apartments and stands on a 140 m2 plot, is being built almost entirely by apprentices. They are involved in every aspect of the modern shell construction, with the main focus on sound and heat insulation.
Shell completed in two months
A supervisor and manager are in charge of supervision and coordination, with a total of six apprentices completing the construction phase in two months. In addition, the apprentices also elect an “internal foreman” from among their number each week to be responsible for smaller areas of work.
“Projects like this are important in terms of nurturing young talent”," explains Strauss. “We get our apprentices to apply their abilities right from the start and develop their core skills. We genuinely believe that both sides benefit from this. Experienced employees pass on their expertise but they also get to learn from the younger ones and end up integrating an idea or two into the work process”, says Strauss.
PORR is highly proactive in promoting young talent: With its PORR Campus as the fourth pillar of apprentice training alongside the construction academy, vocational school and construction site, in addition to the PORR Academy, PORR guarantees a training concept that is constantly evolving. This way, PORR invests in the future of construction.
