HORN Academy: Conversation with Andrea Horn

Mrs Horn, how is the HORN Academy structured?

The HORN Academy is a separate division within Paul Horn GmbH. Our educational institution consists of five pillars: Apprenticeships, further training, studies, retraining and customer seminars. Our philosophy at HORN is that the success of a company depends to a large extent on the expertise of its employees. Training and further education play a central role today in times of a shortage of skilled labour, and this is precisely where we see our responsibility. I myself am responsible for the areas of further training, customer seminars and also for our HORN Technology Days.

What is the focus of the customer seminars and how often do they take place?

In our technology seminars, we address common topics relating to machining and convey complex content in an understandable and practical way. When designing the content, we focus primarily on our customers - practical and user-centred. The training programme is divided into a theoretical and a practical part. The seminars usually take place twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn.

What are the objectives of the internal programmes?

Anyone who works to a thousandth of a millimetre every day must not only be particularly well qualified, but also particularly well motivated. That is why we at HORN attach great importance to the quality of the training and further education of our trainees and employees. After all, knowledge and experience are indispensable prerequisites for mastering state-of-the-art technologies. As part of our in-house HORN Academy, we are able to adapt the qualifications of our employees to the current requirements of the industry. The result is an internal further training catalogue that is updated and expanded every six months as required.

How is your team organised?

There are four of us in the team. They have a structured division of tasks: Customer seminars and the further training catalogue for our internal use. My team also organises the HORN Technology Days - together with many other helping hands from a wide range of departments, of course. The pillars of apprenticeships, retraining and studies are also located in our training centre. The team consists of the head of apprenticeships, three trainers and two practical trainers.

What does the internal training catalogue contain?

Our internal further training catalogue focuses on communication and management, health, product training, IT training and sport and fitness. All topics are further divided into specific training courses. In addition, targeted training courses and further education are also offered on request, covering topics beyond these core areas.

When will the next Technology Days take place and what can visitors expect from the next event?

The upcoming Technology Days will take place from 14th to 16th May 2025. Over three identical days, visitors can expect targeted specialist presentations and practical demonstrations, open production and one-to-one discussions. A large number of partner companies and exhibits round off the programme. Catering will be provided. In addition, there will once again be a specialist lecture and a display of a funding project with a partner from industry and research on the topics of TransKI and MetaLearn.

What distinguishes the HORN Technology Days from other in-house exhibitions?

In my opinion, it's not just the programme that sets the HORN Technology Days apart, but primarily the open and accessible production facilities. Insert production and the areas of tool holders, coating, fixture manufacture and additive manufacturing are particular highlights. During the event, production continues as usual and you can look over the shoulders of one or two colleagues and gain exclusive insights.

What are you personally looking forward to most at this event?

A visitor survey was conducted after the 2023 Technology Days, which led us to implement some changes for the 2025 event. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the new elements, such as the in-depth specialist presentations, are received and evaluated. Of course, I am most looking forward to seeing our visitors themselves. After all, they are the ones who make the event, what it is.