We constantly train more than 20 apprentices in 5 different fields

How did you hear about WM ?

”One of my mom’s friends sent her a WM Facebook post with the list of apprenticeships. I knew I wanted to do a CFC in business so I did an internship and fell in love. 3 weeks after my internship, I got the contract.

Your fondest memory at WM ?

My week of immersion in our German subsidiary! It’s one of the pluses of doing an apprenticeship at WM and I loved it. It allowed me to discover the language and culture in greater detail. What’s more, the trip was entirely financed by the company: studio, transport and meals included. It was a really great experience.

What did you prefer to do ?

Organizing the OpenHouse 2023. I discovered that I like events, preparing and organizing large-scale projects.”

Why did you choose the integrated maturity program ?

Ihad good grades and the will to succeed, and the company also encouraged me.

Can you sum up your 3-year career at ?

Iwent through several departments: invoicing, export, accounting and sales. My various trainers all made me feel at ease and integrated me quickly, and I was immediately given responsibilities and autonomy. I enjoyed feeling like an employee and not just an apprentice. ”

Finally, are you satisfied with your training with us ?

“Ultra satisfied, which is also why I accepted WM’s contract offer. I stayed on for another year in the after-sales department to discover something new, and then went back to school to specialize in a particular field.”

How did you hear about WM ?

I’ve always been passionate about cars, but I wanted to do more micromechanics than car mechanics. I have an engineer from the technical office who lives near me and who knows my mother very well, so he told me to “try and do an internship at WM”, and that’s how I got to know them. It was the first internship I’d ever done with a company, and I really liked it. I was taken straight afterwards, so I cancelled all the other internships I’d already planned afterwards. Often you don’t hesitate when you’ve found THE thing.

Can you sum up your 4-year career?

Briefly, in the first and second years you’re in the training center to get to grips with conventional machines, where you make parts that aren’t going to be thrown away, but mounted on the machines. Once you’ve passed your second-year exams, you move on to the third year, where you spend 6 months in two departments of your choice, so I chose Assembly and Axis Base. And then, in the fourth year, you do a full year in the department you’ve chosen from the two selected to do your IPT.”

What did you prefer to do ?

I’ve always loved assembling machines. You get a chassis, it’s just sheet metal, and we assemble all the axes to the micron. It’s a real thrill to see an empty machine and then return it: it’s full, complete, and capable of producing parts to the micron.

How did your transition to trainer go?

After graduating, I spent a year in the army, then worked for 6 months in machine assembly. After that, Micka, my former trainer, asked me to come with him to develop the training center. I took it as an opportunity, so I gave it a go, even though at first I was very apprehensive, especially given the age difference with the youngsters. Now I’ve got going, I’ve got several diplomas and I really enjoy being a trainer, I’ve always loved passing on my experience!

Your fondest memory at WM?

It was when we were working on the special manufacture of a customer’s machine. It was really a prototype, so if something didn’t work, you had to improve it and find solutions. That was really good. You make a prototype and a few years later, you see that it’s on the (production) line. For an apprentice, it’s really rewarding to have that kind of confidence.

Finally, are you satisfied with your training with us ?

100% satisfied. I did my 4 years and became a trainer right afterwards. There are high expectations for the training center and they’ve put 100% faith in me, so I’m 100% motivated for what’s to come. I spent 4 years here as an apprentice, I didn’t see them go by.

How did you hear about WM ?

Willemin-Macodel had put an advert in the Quotidien Jurassien, my cousin passed it on to me and then I tried my luck. It took me one day of training to realize that the company could offer me a great apprenticeship.”

How did your transition to HR go?

I had the opportunity to sign a fixed-term contract as a sales assistant after completing my apprenticeship, with the aim of providing administrative support to HR. During that year, I was offered a job and decided to continue in that direction to specialize. Initially, after my CFC, I had in mind to specialize in customs, but I noticed that the HR assistant job could also interest me, so I seized the opportunity.

Your fondest memory at WM?

I’ve had several, and every year we had the opportunity to go on an annual outing with all the apprentices from all the different trades. These outings are a real plus at WM. There’s also my stay in our German subsidiary, which, despite the fact that I don’t know the language 100%, helped me improve my language skills.”

Why the CFC for commercial employees?

Idiscovered it by chance. I’d heard that being a sales assistant was an interesting profession, so I started looking for companies.‘‘

Can you sum up your 3-year career at ?

”Since I’ve been here, there have been a few small changes, but you’re lucky to be able to go through several departments. I started with invoicing-export, accounting, procurement too, and then human resources. During these 3 years, there’s always one person who follows us on a daily basis within the department. We’re also lucky enough to have a receptionist on hand to train us for our first contact, which helps build our self-confidence and is a testament to the trust we give our apprentices.

Finally, are you satisfied with your training with us ?

I’m more than satisfied, and I’d also like to thank the trainers who were there and who placed their trust in me. As you can see, I’m still here, and I’m honored to be developing within the HR department. Today, I have the opportunity to take care of the daily follow-up with the trainers of all the apprentices.

How did you hear about WM ?

I started at WM in my second year. I was with a company that went bankrupt and had to find me another apprenticeship position. I didn’t know WM, so my old company took me to visit and interview here, and that’s how I made the transition.”

Why did you do 2 CFCs?

When I was an apprentice polymechanic, there was a more experienced colleague in the set-up department at WM, with more or less the same background as me. She advised me to have several strings to my bow. I thought about it and decided that now was the time to do it.

Your fondest memory at WM?

I don’t have ONE memory in particular, it’s a lot of little things that make for great memories at WM. Already as an employee after 12 years, seeing the evolution of WM is just incredible! Then as an apprentice, I really enjoyed the training fairs to show young people what we do at WM. I really enjoyed it all, and I have fond memories of just about every place I went!

Finally, are you satisfied with your training with us?

I’m very satisfied with my training at WM. After my apprenticeship, the company offered me a contract, but I asked to stay on at 80% to train at the technical college. After 6 months, I stopped because it was more oriented towards methods technicians and that’s not what I liked. So I decided to stay with WM at 100%.

Why did your CFC as a draughtsman only last 2 years?

At school, the polymechanic and draughtsman CFCs take the same courses, so it’s exactly the same theory. I had taken the ”Extended” course as a polymechanic (which is compulsory for draughtsmen), so I took the same courses again, but only in the^3rd and^4th years, in agreement with the canton and the school. It’s only the practical aspects that have changed. So I was able to get 2 CFCs in 6 years instead of 8!

Can you sum up your 5-year career?

When I arrived in^2nd year, I was in mechanics (conventional machining). In^3rd year, I went to assembly for small-scale assembly for 6 months, and then I went to machine assembly on older versions of the 50. I loved it! And for the last month, I was on a training course to see what it was like while I waited to take up my second CFC. Then I did my 2 years in the technical office, really concentrating on design, both by hand and in CAD.

What did you prefer to do?

I liked the 2 jobs, as a polymechanic, series 50 assembly, because when you get feedback from customers who are happy with their machine, you’re still proud of yourself because you assembled the machine from A to Z! For the design part, it was really about inventing the tooling to help the people in the workshop.

How did you hear about WM ?

I did a number of internships in different fields, before coming closer to becoming a polymechanic. After an internship with a company as an automation technician, which I really enjoyed, I did another with WM, which went well and confirmed my choice. I then called to see if I could do my apprenticeship there, and there was a place available, so I applied.

What motivated you to stay with us for the rest of your studies?

I’ve always wanted to study, but without taking the Maturité, because full-time schooling just isn’t for me! Studying to become an ES technician is the right compromise because I’m 50% at work and 50% at school, using my WM projects as modules. What’s more, this diploma would allow me to start engineering school directly in the second year if I wanted to.

Your fondest memory at WM?

I can think of two, the first time I went on a trip. At the beginning of my third year, I had just got my driving license and I went to Germany in a company car to install a box I had developed for a customer. And then, at the end of fourth year, my IPT went well, everyone was very happy and I was congratulated at the graduation ceremony.”

Finally, are you satisfied with your training with us?

Yes, very! We don’t feel like ”the apprentice”, we’re treated like an employee. If we show that we want it and that we’re motivated, we’re given responsibilities and autonomy. You feel they trust you, and that’s rewarding. I don’t think that’s the case in every company. You acquire knowledge in many different fields and it’s very rewarding.

Why did you choose the CFC in automation?

I chose this profession so that I could move on. It’s an extremely varied CFC, and you learn the basics in mechanics, electricity, pneumatics, programming, etc. You don’t necessarily specialize in a specific field, but when you get the CFC, it’s a great gateway to work just about anywhere.

Can you sum up your 4-year career?

When you start training as an automation engineer at WM, you go through the technical office to learn the basics of technical drawing, then off to the mechanical workshop. We then finish the first year of apprenticeship in machine assembly, followed by robot assembly. By the end of the year, we’ve acquired the general basics. In the second year, we move on to prototypes, and the work really varies according to what the company needs, such as toolmaking. In between, we attend inter-company courses.

In the third year, we spend 6 months on the soft side of machine programming, then 6 months on robotics to finish the year. In the fourth year, we have to make a choice to specialize our training and submit our IPT. For my part, I chose robotics.

What did you prefer to do?

”What I particularly enjoy is designing and experimenting with various projects, such as software, programming or connected devices, rather than devoting myself exclusively to managing customer applications. It allows me to discover and test a multitude of things, push the boundaries and tackle a variety of tasks. ”

How did you hear about WM ?

”I was looking for an apprenticeship position as a logistician because I’d done internships with other companies in the area. My dad knew a bit about WM and advised me to look in the Quotidien Jurassien, so when I saw the advert, I did an internship and then applied as an apprentice.”

Can you sum up your 3-year career?

I’ve worked in a number of logistics departments: goods-in, picking of large goods, preparation of small goods using automated storage systems, packing and dispatch, and after-sales returns processing.

What did you prefer to do?

My preference was to handle after-sales returns. It was rewarding and enabled me to expand my knowledge of machine components.”

What motivated you to stay with us?

It was my wish to stay and develop so that I could take further training courses.

Your fondest memory at WM?

”It’s not a specific memory, but overall the trust shown by the staff as an apprentice and of course the friendly atmosphere at company gatherings.”

Finally, are you satisfied with your training with us?

Yes, very satisfied. I would recommend this dynamic and varied course to others. It also helped me improve my self-confidence and familiarize myself with the various tools available (telephone, computer, etc.).”