New apprenticeships: Swiss Post is looking for 700 young, talented individuals in every region of Switzerland

Stefan Dauner

5. August 2021 10:00 Last modified: 4. August 2021 10:37

On 1 August 2021, Swiss Post opened its apprenticeship portal for 2022. As the third-largest employer in Switzerland, Swiss Post offers young people training in 17 different professions. Sarangi Senthilkumar is one of around 2,000 apprentices at Swiss Post. She is about to start the third year of her apprenticeship to become a commercial employee. As part of a PowerTeam, she recently even began leading a team of seven people.

Sarangi Senthilkumar is 18 years old and already a team leader. Isn’t that stressful? “Stress isn’t the right word,“ says the budding commercial employee specializing in service and administration, adding: “It’s a responsibility that’s more motivating than stressful to me. And we’re not alone, either. Our trainers are always there if we need their help.” As a new team leader, Sarangi is in charge of a team of seven apprentices, including four in the first year of their apprenticeship. “I really look forward to working with the newcomers, because I love supporting other people. When you help others, you always end up learning something yourself.”

PowerTeams: concentrated energy from Vevey to Bellinzona

Sarangi Senthilkumar is part of a PowerTeam at Swiss Post headquarters in Bern: a team consisting of several commercial employee apprentices in different years of their apprenticeship. The apprentices in these PowerTeams organize themselves and take on tasks under their own initiative. “We do all sorts of tasks for Swiss Post Group as a whole. For instance, we create e-learning content that the apprentices use to learn on the job, and which they also use for other courses,” explains Sarangi Senthilkumar, with a hint of pride. Indeed, anyone who thinks that these PowerTeams solely do the admin work that nobody else wants to do is very much mistaken. Sarangi explains: “We want to learn something on the job. The tasks we’re allowed to do for Swiss Post let us do precisely that, and other Swiss Post staff members always appreciate our work. It’s great fun and very motivating!” Swiss Post has similar PowerTeams for newcomers in Bellinzona, Olten, Vevey and Zurich. This gives apprentices the opportunity to see the workings of the entire Group, to network and to lead projects under their own initiative from the very outset.

“Swiss Post is like one big theatre.”

When asked what has surprised her during her apprenticeship at Swiss Post, Sarangi Senthilkumar was quick to answer: “The size and variety most of all. The work behind the scenes that is needed to make sure parcels and letters get where they need to be on time is staggering. I wasn’t aware of just how huge Swiss Post’s international presence is. I also had no idea there were so many jobs in ICT at Swiss Post. It’s like the backstage area of a theatre, where everything is meticulously planned so that the show can run smoothly.” As a matter of fact, Swiss Post is one of the largest IT employers in Switzerland. This is also clear from the apprenticeships it offers: of the approximately 700 places that Swiss Post advertises each year, 60 are in ICT, including its application developer and ICT specialist paths.

 

2021: 636 training courses completed successfully

In total, 636 apprentices, interns and students at Swiss Post have successfully completed their training in 2021. Many of them will stay with Swiss Post after their training. The retention rate is generally high: over the last 10 years, about 60 percent of apprentices went on to find employment within Swiss Post. In addition to this, Swiss Post continues to invest in varied, recognized training programmes – this is an inextricable part of Swiss Post’s identity as a company that is firmly established throughout Switzerland. On 1 August 2021, it opened its apprenticeship portal for 2022. As the third-largest employer in Switzerland, it will once again offer around 700 young people training in 17 different professions, the majority of these in logistics, retail and ICT.

 

Sarangi Senthilkumar can vouch for one thing: “It’s clear that, as apprentices, we are welcome at Swiss Post. Our trainers give us honest feedback that we can build on. Critical feedback is always accompanied by suggestions about how we can do better. But the benefits are cool, too.” Benefits? Some examples are the free GA Travelcard, seven weeks of holiday and the opportunity to complete exchange years in other language regions. A 13th month salary, performance bonuses and financial support to buy school supplies and notebooks are also part of what Swiss Post offers to its apprentices. “Another example is the non-smoker bonus,” says the 18-year old. Apprentices who don’t smoke receive a bonus as part of a health promotion campaign. This amounts to several hundred francs, depending on the length of the apprenticeship.