Current figures from the Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs show that fewer and fewer companies are training apprentices. However, the construction company Franz Schütz from Weißenkirchen in der Wachau is paying special attention to the professionals of tomorrow. In order to support the apprentices personally, they even learn the most important etiquette rules. What are they? The “crown” tells you.
In 2008, there were still more than 38,000, last year the number of training companies fell to just over 27,000. Never before have so few companies trained students as in 2023. The commercial and craft sectors in particular, but also the retail sector, are affected by the decline.
The construction company Franz Schütz from Weißenkirchen in the Wachau has been training apprentices since 1927 – almost 100 years. In addition to technical expertise – construction, carpentry, roofing – the future professionals are also given the opportunity to develop personally. Regular internal training courses and workshops with an apprentice expert take place. These include, for example, appearance with customers, presentation techniques, entrepreneurial thinking and motivation and personal responsibility – but etiquette rules and table culture must also be learned. A concern that is extremely important for the family business.
Learning by doing: Table manners
Expert Petra Pinker showed the twelve young students how to behave at the table. After a theoretical part in the construction company, the etiquette rules were tested during lunch. Particularly difficult: the fried potato soup. “The fries have to be cut first. The spoon has to be brought to the face and not the other way around,” explains student Sebastian, who sits upright at the table with his colleagues and Pinker with the cloth napkin on his lap.
Source: Krone

I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.