“National Future Day 2021” sees record participation

This year, November 11 was not only the start of the carnival season in the German-speaking world. All over German-speaking Switzerland, children aged 9 to 13 years flooded into businesses of all kinds in order to experience working life as part of “National Future Day 2021” [Nationaler Zukunftstag]. No fewer than 68 young people, more than ever before, used the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes at Implenia, Switzerland’s largest construction and real estate corporation.

“We were stunned by the interest,” says Andrea Wagner, Learning & Development Specialist HR Switzerland, who initiated and managed the event with support from the HR team. “Participants came from all over German-speaking Switzerland – not only colleagues’ children, but also godchildren, neighbours, cousins and their friends. It was a wonderfully diverse group.”

Programme: construction site + office

The programme was designed to give the young visitors an insight into Implenia’s work, both on the construction site and in the office. The group met at the Empa/Eawag campus in Dübendorf, where Implenia is currently working on a whole series of challenging projects with innovative approaches. you can find an overview of the project in the next edition of IMPACT.

From the construction site, they moved on to the Implenia headquarters Connect in Glattpark (Opfikon), which opened in September. There, trainees talked about their apprenticeships as carpenters, joiners, management assistants and large machinery mechanics, before the children rotated through activities such as building their dream home in the Innovation Hub and touring buildings virtually using Building Information Modelling on the mainframe. The modern working environment in Connect, including relaxation rooms and a library, was also showcased.

Apprentices as guides

Guiding the children was a group of committed apprentices, who showed groups of 11 or 12 children around the construction site and headquarters and gave them an insight into their working lives. “We would be delighted if we were able to welcome some of these young people to Implenia as colleagues in the not-too-distant future,” says Andrea Wagner enthusiastically. “The event clearly showed the incredible range of jobs Implenia offers. Together, we are building something big.”

Total commitment to a successful event: (from left) Sonja Glauser, Alberto Berlingieri, Tim Schlatter, Andrea Wagner, Maxamad Axmed, Lea Rippstein, Sascha Floriddia and John Pioquinto

“National Future Day 2021” at Implenia

Welcome: Adrian Wyss
Organisation: Andrea Wagner (head), Deborah Weissenbach, Sascha Floriddia
Apprentices: Maxamed Axmed, Alberto Berlingieri, Sonja Glauser, John Pioquinto, Lea Rippstein, Tim Schlatter
Tour of Empa/Eawag campus construction site: Kerstin Depner, Victor Wolff Casado
Tour of Connect: Diana Fischer, Maximilian Nägele, Cornelia Widmer