Bruker’s Apprenticeship Program - Fundamental Skills

"You start by making your own hammer..." said Raphael Pine, an apprentice at Bruker's NMR Center of Excellence in Fällanden, just outside Zurich in Switzerland. "...doing everything by hand, no machinery allowed. It teaches you how materials can be worked and how the fundamentals of a design can be translated into a functional, 3-D object."

Raphael is halfway through his four-year apprenticeship at Bruker in Polymechanics and is looking forward to a year that will see him putting into practice everything he has learned so far. Having concentrated on the fundamentals in the first year, year 2 saw his focus shift to utilizing and programming machines - lathes, drills, and milling machines, for example - to make components and assemblies. 3-D modelling and CAD are also on the syllabus during the year.

He is also now helping the new year 1 apprentices as they begin their journey at Bruker. Raphael said: "It's great to be able to show the new team how things work and what they need to learn. I have found that in order to teach somebody else, you really need to learn things thoroughly yourself. It's very satisfying."

Raphael applied for one of the apprenticeship opportunities that Bruker offers every year, after an extensive search for the right opportunity. He visited more than 10 companies before deciding that Bruker was the ideal fit. He is unusual in that he started his apprenticeship at 15 years old. Having been diagnosed with ADHD, Raphael found traditional school a challenge, but has thrived with the combination of part-time study and practical learning.

When he graduates from the apprenticeship program in 2022, Raphael will be just 19. Whether he decides to start his career at Bruker full time or opt to study advanced engineering, the program will have opened all the right doors for him.