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One ag company sees apprenticeships as a way to help fulfill its workforce needs

An equipment company is taking a different approach to meeting its workforce needs.

Mario Kratsch, vice president of the German-American Chamber of Commerce, says more companies are adapting to meet an increased demand from students. “There is a sweet spot in between when people say they’re not ready for college so what kind of career option do I have?  Frankly, apprenticeship is not preparation for a job. I label it all the time as the first step in your career pathway.”

President of CLAAS Omaha Matthias Ristow tells Brownfield the company has adopted the German model of apprenticeship, which has helped create a stronger workforce. “We have over 100 apprentices each year that start new. Most of them are absolved in the workforce when they graduate from the program. We have qualified people in the workforce that are already trained on CLAAS equipment.”

He tells Brownfield these programs provide a long-term supply of highly skilled employees through experiential learning, tuition reimbursement and opportunities for college degrees. “It’s not only the hard skill that you learn doing the program. It’s also the soft skills and the way of thinking when we want to teach them how to troubleshoot.”

Ristow and Kratsch say highlighting successful programs like CLAAS’s help encourage other companies to consider apprenticeships.

CLAAS hosted the first stop on the Skill Initiative Roadshow 2025 on Wednesday . The initiative from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany will tour across several states to help create regional partnerships between German companies and US apprenticeship providers.

Mario Kratsch:

Matthias Ristow: