Daniel Sonntag

Mr. Sonntag, what brought you to EBZ?

During and after my tool mechanic apprenticeship, I always liked helping out the trainees. Having gained my Industriemeister 2006 master craftsman qualification, I was then officially entitled to train young entrants and, also, work as an examiner at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Following the financial and economic crisis from 2009 - 2011, I felt a need to understand the economic interplay, leading me to successfully qualify as a technical business economist in 2015. As an opening arose in the summer of 2017 to work in the training center at EBZ, I embraced the challenge and, to this day, I’ve never regretted it.

What do you find most appealing about EBZ?

Close cooperation, the development of the company, and the fact that one keeps an open mind to new ideas.

What would you most like to give our apprentices during their training?

Apprentices should be confident that they can ask any questions they want to, as that indicates they are interested. A profession can be regarded as a vocation. As a child, my “calling” was to build with LEGO bricks, play with cars and find out about the world in this manner. That was always a lot more fun than cleaning up the “job” afterwards. But that’s also part of the deal, and shouldn’t be put off. Always remember: “never put off till tomorrow what you can do today!”

Insider tip: Have you ever managed to really surprise an apprentice?

Yes, the young man was in high school and had received three “adequate” grades on his school report, including in math. The apprentice developed a variable CNC program in his third year that was capable of measuring dimensions in space. The program rightly won an award. This demonstrates that, with enthusiasm and interest as a vocation, anything can be achieved, and your school report is not always the be all and end all.

Do you mind if we ask you about your personal interests?

With pleasure, I’m married, and I’m an enthusiastic BBQ fan. There are a total of six different types of grills, smokers, Dutch ovens and so on in our garden. Everything I need is there. I find a good BBQ brings people together. And it doesn’t always have to be meat :-). I’m also a big-time FC Bayern soccer fan and, when I was younger, I travelled a lot to attend live matches all over Europe. I’m an honorary treasurer today in the fan club.

Why do I love my profession? I find the development of future generations to be very exciting. What motivates me is the chance to give them that start in a career as a mentor and, later, bid farewell to them after they qualify as young adults entering the professional world.

Would you like to network with me?

Then please add me to your LinkedIn contacts.