HHLA welcomed 33 new trainees and students to its headquarters in Hamburg, three of whom already started in February 2025. In addition to industrial and commercial apprenticeships, around two-thirds of the young adults have opted for a vocation focussed on IT or technology. The “Regenerative Energy Systems and Energy Management” programme is a new addition this year. This now puts the total number of young trainees in the company at 96

This morning, a new stage of life began for the young people at HHLA. HHLA’s Chief Human Resources Officer Torben Seebold said: “Well-qualified employees are the backbone of HHLA. We get involved right at the start of their vocational training and, at the same time, give young people the opportunity to learn a profession with promising prospects. This is good for both HHLA and for society. Therefore, I am delighted that 33 young talented individuals have chosen to do their training or dual study course with HHLA and will be starting their careers with us today.”

Clarissa Groß, Head of HR Development at HHLA, added: “I am very excited to welcome 33 young trainees to HHLA. They each bring a fresh perspective and are an important part of our future. That is why we deliberately support our trainees and students in developing the skills and knowledge that we will need to remain successful on the market.”

Three trainees began their apprenticeships at HHLA back in February 2025: two as mechatronics engineers for refrigeration technology and one as a forwarding agent at Container-Transport-Dienst’s (CTD) location in Ludwigsburg. Over the coming years, the full cohort of seven women and 26 men will complete practical training in HHLA’s various facilities and departments as well as its domestic and foreign subsidiaries. Seven of the junior employees will complete their apprenticeships mainly at HHLA’s subsidiaries CTD, Hamburger Container- und Chassis-Reparatur-Gesellschaft (HCCR) and METRANS Rail Deutschland.

HHLA routinely reviews which new courses would make appropriate additions to the programme. That’s why a dual student in regenerative energy systems and energy management is joining HHLA for the first time this year. After all, HHLA has set itself ambitious sustainability targets and is working to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 at, among other areas, its port terminals, its rail subsidiary METRANS and at the World Heritage site Speicherstadt historical warehouse district.

HHLA offers apprenticeships in industrial, commercial and technical fields, as well as a wide range of dual study courses. Around two-thirds of HHLA’s latest recruits have opted for a vocation focussed on IT or technology, with eight up-and-coming mechatronics engineers, five mechatronics engineers for refrigeration technology, and two electronics technicians for automation technology starting their apprenticeships with HHLA this year. In the future, the expertise garnered in these technical apprenticeships will help to maintain and repair the high-performance and partially automated handling equipment at HHLA’s container terminals in Hamburg, thus making a great contribution towards ensuring efficient handling. In terms of the commercial apprenticeships, the digitalisation management specialists and IT specialists for system integration are now well established within the company. When it comes to dual study course students, HHLA clearly focuses on study programmes in the areas of mathematics, IT, science and technology, such as computer engineering, business informatics, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and the new regenerative energy systems and energy management course.