There is good going on in the global underground at the moment. As the world’s big cities grow ever larger, and there is a shortage of available square meters on the surface, the transport infrastructure in particular is moving underground.
World leader in tunnel boring machines
They can feel this, among others, at Herrenknecht in Germany, who are among the world’s largest suppliers of the very heavy tunnel boring machines. As in the rest of the tunneling industry, there is great demand – both for machines and people who can operate and maintain them.
This has led Herrenknecht, in collaboration with the subsidiary Global Tunneling Experts, to launch a trainee scheme. The Danish recruitment agency is currently looking for skilled workers with a journeyman’s certificate, such as agricultural mechanics, truck mechanics, hydraulic mechanics or the like. And a few days after the first post on LinkedIn, there is already interest in the underground career path. This is what recruitment consultant Merete Jensen from Global Tunneling Experts says:
Big industry
– There have already been some inquiries from people who want to hear more. The tunnel industry is interesting and it is a large industry. And Herrenknecht is the world leader in tunnel boring machines (TBM), so it seems to be working, says Merete Jensen.
The salary was paid over three to six months
A trainee course at Global Tunneling Experts and Herrenknecht lasts between three and six months, depending on the individual trainee’s qualifications. It takes place at Herrenknecht’s factory in Schwanau in southern Germany, and the trainee course is paid.
After the course, you are then ready for a career as a TBM fitter, and this opens up opportunities all over the world.
– When you finish, you get out on tunnel projects, and something happens all over the world. We have just opened an office in India ourselves, but something is happening all over the place, says Merete Jensen.
No people on the Fehmarn project – yet
Global Tunneling Experts can be found at FB Suppliers in Rødbyhavn every Thursday. They have been for the last year. Even so, the recruitment agency has so far not employed people on the Fehmarn project.
– We are called Global Tunneling Experts, and we have a good reputation in the industry. But when you build a submersion tunnel, you don’t need tunnel boring machines, and we’re not the first thing you think of. But we are starting to get some good contacts and there have been some inquiries as well. And all our people have a journeyman’s certificate as electricians, mechanics or something else, so it will probably come, concludes Merete Jensen.
