Opole Animex relies on cooperation with vocational and technical schools. Trainees are offered , among others, higher salaries, scholarships and reimbursement of travel costs or the purchase of textbooks.
– Trainees can learn more, get to know the plant and then apply for a job – says Tomasz Tymecki coordinator in professional development in Animex. Particularly sought after are apprentices in meat and sausage branch. It is very difficult to recruit a person in such profession because education of meat producers in Poland was almost completely abandoned. Needed are also employees of technical education: electricians, mechatronics, mechanics, machine operators… People who opt for internship in Animex, the company guarantees not only trained caregivers, but also salary higher than that provided by law.
– We want to inoculate the sense of responsibility and serious treatment of the work and that is why we implemented a scholarship system – argues Tomasz Tymecki. – We do not want to buy workers but show that the right attitude to work and school guarantees a very decent salary with the prospect of extending competences – he pointed out. The company depends on education that makes apprentices highly-skilled and reliable workers. At the same time Animex does not close their future education. Having had a good profession and a steady job, you can continue education in a technical school, and later even in college. There are examples of people in Animex who thus climbed the career ladder doing more and more responsible tasks. Animex is not only the largest exporter of meat in Poland but also the biggest employer in the meat industry, having 11 factories located throughout the country. Since 1999, the production plant belongs to the Smithfield Foods Capital Group. Animex in Opole hires an estimated 700 people.