Sustainability Innovation Heroes: Developing Apprentices into Change Agents for Digitalization and the Circular Economy

The demands placed on companies are changing rapidly: digitalization, sustainability, and securing a skilled workforce are among the key issues facing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the future. The Sustainability Innovation Heroes (SIH) project is therefore launching a new training program designed to specifically prepare apprentices for these challenges.

The program combines the topics of the circular economy, digitalization, and innovation management and takes a hands-on approach: Trainees first learn the basics of relevant future technologies and then work in teams to address real-world operational challenges from their corporate environment. They are supported in this process by innovation coaches and experienced mentors.

The goal is to develop concrete solutions and prototypes that will be presented to company management at the end of the program and may eventually be implemented within the company.

By participating, companies have the opportunity to specifically nurture their trainees as drivers of innovation and change.

Among other things, companies benefit from:

• Training opportunities for apprentices that go beyond the standard training curriculum

• Insights into future-oriented topics such as the circular economy, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT)

• Addressing specific operational challenges through innovation projects

• New approaches and prototypes for current issues

A long-term strengthening of the culture of innovation within the company

MittelstandMacher companies are invited to get involved as early as the development and pilot phases. Possible contributions include:

• Identifying operational needs and challenges through interviews

• Having trainees participate in the program’s pilot phase

• Providing specialists and managers for mentoring opportunities

This results in a training program that is consistently tailored to the actual needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Would you like to help your trainees become change agents or help shape the program to address your own challenges?

You can find all the information about the project’s content, modules, schedule, and opportunities for participation in the project overview in the download section.

If you’re interested, we’d love to hear from you.