69 young men and women are starting their training at Hapag-Lloyd in Hamburg. Some of the apprentices will learn traditional maritime professions, including 14 ship mechanics and 14 navigational assistant officers. Twenty-four apprentices will be trained onshore and learn to be shipping agents. In addition, Hapag-Lloyd has 17 dual work-study students pursuing bachelor’s degrees at either the Hamburg School of Business Administration or the Nordakademie University of Applied Sciences.

Another 14 aspiring ship mechanics already started their training at the beginning of the year and completed their first three-month voyage on board the “Chicago Express” in mid-July. The 8,600 TEU ship is one of Hapag-Lloyd’s two training vessels and is sailing from Southern Europe to the US East Coast. This kind of group voyage is unique in Germany and forms part of Hapag-Lloyd’s professional training at sea. However, beginning in spring 2024, the young seafarers will embark on ocean-going voyages in pairs on board one of Hapag-Lloyd’s 250 ships.

“We are thrilled to welcome the next generation of maritime logistics talent and seafarers to Hapag-Lloyd,” says Donya-Florence Amer, Chief Information and Human Resources Officer of Hapag-Lloyd. “With our wide range of apprenticeship offerings – both on land and at sea – we offer talented young men and women attractive, long-term career opportunities in an international setting.”

With a total of 12 different training courses for professions on land and at sea, Hapag-Lloyd is the largest maritime training company in Germany. Training within the company paves the way for promising careers in seafaring. “Many of our seafarers and captains started their careers as apprenticeship on our ships,” says Dr Maximilian Rothkopf, Chief Operating Officer. “Shipping is in the process of a profound transformation, and we can offer our apprentices an exciting future both at sea and on shore.” The prospects for continued employment at Hapag-Lloyd after completing an apprenticeship with the company are excellent, as most of the trainees are taken on after successfully completing their apprenticeship and continue to work for Hapag-Lloyd.