How you fit new team members in without losing momentum

The intestine technician education differs from many other vocational educations in that there are very few schools and companies involved. The basic course is offered in Roskilde, and it places demands on you as a future student: you must be proactive in finding a training company with a written apprenticeship agreement before you can really get started on the main course.

Because the trade is so specialized, it is typically slaughterhouses with their own casing department or independent casing cleaning companies that take apprentices. There are not many of them in Denmark, and it means that you can advantageously make contact early — already while you are in the middle of the basic course — rather than wait until the last minute. These types of companies range from large, international casing producers to smaller, local casing cleaneries and slaughterhouses with their own casing department.

The intestine technician education is currently only offered in the form of new apprenticeship. In practice, this means you replace the second part of the basic course with practical training directly in a company instead of completing it at school. To start in new apprenticeship, you must generally have completed 9th grade, and there are no requirements for specific grades for this particular path. This makes the way into the profession slightly different than for many other vocational educations — but it requires that you have found a company willing to take you in before you can really get going.

• 01Ask your school if they have contacts with companies that have historically taken students.
• 02Direct approach to slaughterhouses and gut processors with a brief, concrete introduction of yourself.
• 03Be open to the fact that an apprenticeship may be some distance from your current home — the number of companies is limited.
• 04Feel free to tell about practical experience you already have with crafts food or production.
• 05Follow up in writing or by phone if you haven't heard anything after a reasonable deadline.

When you've found a company willing to take you you and they enter a written apprenticeship agreement. It establishes that the company commits to giving you the training the education requires and that in return you receive apprentice wages throughout the education — also in periods when you're in school. Without a valid apprenticeship agreement you can't continue to the main course so it's one of the most important practical steps in the entire process.

Among the companies that have historically taken trainees in the trade, you will find both large, nationwide meat and food companies and more specialized casing companies. DAT-Schaub, owned by Danish Crown and with roots back to 1893 and 1913, is an example of a large, global casing producer with production in several places in Denmark. Other well-known Danish meat and food companies have also had trainee positions within the casing technician trade. What they have in common is that they operate in the same industry that you learn to know through your education, and so an inquiry about an apprenticeship is rarely completely out of line with what they already know.

In the company, you are typically assigned an experienced colleague or practice supervisor who follows your development and gradually introduces you to more independent tasks. Use that relationship actively: ask when you are in doubt, and ask for feedback while you are still new — this is where you lay the foundation for the rest of your career in the trade.

Remember also the practical conditions around school periods: if you are under 18 and have far to school, you can in many cases apply for transport allowance, just as you can for other vocational trainings. Talk to your school about which options apply to your specific course so practical matters don't become an unnecessary obstacle to completing the training.