Success story: From IT business apprentice to project management department

At SENNEBOGEN, you can continue to advance and pursue your career after your apprenticeship. A good example of this is Markus Holzapfel, who started here as an apprentice in IT business management and now supervises a wide range of large-scale projects as project manager in the department. In the interview, he explains how he accomplished this and provides tips for a successful carrier at SENNEBOGEN.

How did you find out about SENNEBOGEN, Markus? Was it more by chance or more of a deliberate decision?
I was always excited about the world of computers when I was young, so later on I was looking for an apprenticeship in this field. Since SENNEBOGEN is a big-name company with a strong presence in Straubing, it wasn’t a difficult decision for me to apply there as an IT business manager.

Why did you decide on an extra-occupational course of studies at the ICC in Passau?
After my apprenticeship, I was given more and more small IT projects, which I found very fun and interesting to work on. That’s why I wanted to continue learning in this field and was looking for a special course of studies in the field of project management. The two-and-a-half-year advanced training course as IT business manager at the ICC Passau focusing on HR and project management covered precisely the subjects that are important for me. The advanced training is conducted at TH Deggendorf.

What prerequisites did you have to fulfil for that?
Successfully completing an apprenticeship in IT business management was a basic prerequisite for me. Beyond that, three years of subsequent practical experience with IT specialist profile was necessary in order to begin the advanced training.

“After my apprenticeship, I was given more and more small IT projects, which I found very fun and interesting to work on. That’s why I wanted to continue learning in this field and was looking for a special course of studies in the field of project management.”

Markus Holzapfel

Project Manager, SENNEBOGEN Maschinenfabrik GmbH

What effect did this external advanced training course have on your career at SENNEBOGEN?
With its advanced training course as IT business manager, ICC Passau offers just the right theoretical education for my practical tasks at SENNEBOGEN. The Project Management department allows me to lead various large-scale projects within the company as well as my own project team. My main task as project manager consists of optimizing the processes at the company, introducing new systems and successfully finalizing intra-departmental projects.

What tip do you have for young people who don’t yet know exactly where they want to go with their professional future?
I would recommend every young person to start with an apprenticeship, since there will still be many different advanced training and promotion opportunities after that as well. SENNEBOGEN not only offers a broad spectrum of apprenticeships, it also provides many ways of gaining insight into the various professions ahead of time: For instance, you can take a one-week student internship, but you can also attend information events at our SENNEBOGEN Academy. I would definitely take advantage of these opportunities.