Top performance at GEDIA - Mahmud Esat Yazlak is the best apprentice in the district of Olpe
Mahmud Esat Yazlak from Finnentrop has completed his apprenticeship as machine and plant operator (focus on metal and plastics technology) with outstanding results at the age of only 22. With 95.5%, he received the top grade of “very good” and was honored by the Siegen Chamber of Industry and Commerce as the best industrial-technical apprentice in the Olpe district.
The GEDIA Automotive Group not only rewarded him with a bonus of 1000 euros, but also offered him a permanent employment contract. Yazlak initially had other plans in Finnentrop after graduating from secondary school in 2017. After completing his first apprenticeship as a precision engineer in a small company in Lennestadt, he decided to do a second apprenticeship at GEDIA, having already got to know the company during a repair job and being impressed by the structure and way the company works.
His commitment and honesty were praised by his training supervisor Oliver Bödefeld: “I had a very good feeling about him from day one. Mahmud is motivated, open and honest,” he says, describing the reasons for his decision to hire him as an apprentice. The training to become a machine and plant operator includes a three-month basic training course at the GEDIA training center, followed by practical assignments in various departments to get to know different manufacturing technologies. Mahmud Esat Yazlak is happy with his job: “I work at the heart of the production process and use my technical expertise to help keep the machine running and ensure that stamped body parts come out at the end.”
At the age of 22, Yazlak bears a significant responsibility in his team in the area of cold forming. He works early, late and night shifts independently on a fixed machine that he has to retool several times a day. “It's a new but also nice challenge every day,” he explains. Although he has only just taken up the position of machine and plant operator, he is aiming for sufficient professional experience to take part-time further training to become an industrial foreman. “I would like to develop and work my way up here in the company. I have some role models in the company who have been with GEDIA since their training and are now managers,” says the 22-year-old, setting himself clear goals. His reliable way of working and his high level of commitment were already noticed by his former training manager Oliver Bödefeld during his training: ”As a trainee, he was already highly motivated. He is calm and level-headed in his approach to work. I have every confidence that he will play a certain role in the company.” Yazlak particularly appreciates the friendly and informal working environment at GEDIA, the supportive transition from apprentice to skilled worker, and the open corporate culture.