Leni-Sophie Wilck is only 17, but she already has a big journey behind her: from Berlin to Lusatia and finally from the school desk to the “male profession” of miller. How the girl from Lusatia got here - and how her journey will continue.
The bright trainee is in her second year of training at the Vetschau husking mill. She will become a process technologist in the milling and grain industry. Her journey did not begin in Lusatia, but in the lively atmosphere of Berlin. As a child, she moved to Vetschau with her family and quickly learned to appreciate the peaceful nature of the region. After leaving school, a job advertisement for the mill piqued her curiosity. “I was fascinated by the idea of how oat flakes and other cereal products are made,” says Leni-Sophie Wilck. Her interest in craftsmanship developed at school, particularly through the subject WAT - Economy, Work, Technology. The diverse tasks in class, such as working with wood, laid the foundation for her clear decision to immerse herself in the world of craftsmanship. The proximity to the training location was then a decisive factor in her choice of training location.
After a trial day at the peeling mill, his enthusiasm for the trade and his desire to understand the processes behind the food grew. Eventually, she received a call with the promise of an apprenticeship. “After that, I was very excited and really looking forward to it,” recalls Leni-Sophie Wilck. So the young woman from Lusatia has reached the first important stage - and what happens next? After her training, Leni-Sophie Wilck is planning another step: she is interested in the German Milling School in Braunschweig (DMBS). The DMSB is the only practical technical college in Germany to offer a degree in milling, grain and feed technology. This would make her a state-certified technician in this field - and a highly sought-after qualification. And, according to her trainer Robert Kümmel, not only in Lusatia, Brandenburg or Germany, but even worldwide. However, her long-term dream is not New York, Rio or Tokyo. Leni-Sophie would like to return to Vetschau after this further training and bring her expanded knowledge back to her training company, the Kümmel family mill. The connection to the Vetschau region is of great importance to the young woman. The calm atmosphere and the positive team environment play a central role. In contrast to her birthplace Berlin or other larger cities, she appreciates the tranquillity and closeness to nature of Lusatia. “When I have to go to vocational school in Stuttgart at the moment, I just want to go home again,” says the 17-year-old. The short distances to work and the natural surroundings of the region are clear plus points for her.
Apprentice Leni-Sophie Wilck:
“I simply feel at home here: in Vetschau, at the mill and in the team.”
The 17-year-old is accompanied by her trainer Robert Kümmel. After vacant apprenticeship positions in his family's business went unfilled for years, he took on the task of supervising the apprentices. He campaigned for better conditions and attaches great importance to a practical introduction to the world of milling. During the apprenticeship, the various processes in the mill are introduced step by step, from the receipt of raw materials and quality control to the filling of the end products. Two new apprentices are taken on each year. “Our trainees can then learn from the millers themselves. It's much more useful than pure theory when someone with a few years or decades of experience reveals a trick,” says Robert Kümmel. Robert Kümmel is delighted that a woman, Leni-Sophie Wilck, is finally learning the milling trade with them.
Modern equipment and automation technology have changed the image of the milling profession. “It used to be a male domain, physically demanding and covered in dust,” explains Robert Kümmel. Modern milling has come a long way and the image of the old windmill with sacks of flour, as we know it from fairy tales, is outdated. “You can't really talk about the same profession anymore, so much has changed,” says Robert Kümmel. It's time to rethink outdated preconceptions of this profession and this is reflected at the vocational school. While there were just two women in a class of 16 in 2015, the proportion of women in Leni-Sophie Wilck's year is 50%. After her apprenticeship, she will be the first female miller in Vetschau - and hopefully not the only one for long. Based on her own experiences, Leni-Sophie now encourages others to take advantage of this opportunity and get a taste of the world of milling instead of being guided by outdated assumptions or even prejudices. She herself dared to do a trial working day before deciding on the apprenticeship and was thus able to experience first-hand what the job really involves. “That day convinced me,” says the trainee.
Robert Kümmel also advises young people looking for an apprenticeship to simply try it out. Internet research is the only way to understand how diverse a professional field is. It's the same in milling: “You're not just a normal miller, you have to look at so many subsequent processes. That's what makes the job so incredibly varied.” This is why Mühle Gebr. Kümmel + Co. GmbH offers interested people the opportunity to get a taste of the profession with a trial day, a trial week or a work placement for school pupils.
Kümmel + Co. GmbH currently attaches particular importance to training. Due to the three-shift system, the mill is at the limits of its capacity with a current workforce of six millers. This highlights the need to train the next generation of millers in order to broaden the team and overcome bottlenecks. Leni-Sophie Wilck will hopefully complete her journey soon and join the male team in Vetschau as a Spreewald miller.
Modern milling opens up new opportunities and prospects for young people in the region. Leni-Sophie Wilck is a living example of how innovation and tradition can go hand in hand. Her ambition for the milling trade not only helps to maintain a long tradition of craftsmanship, but also shows that diversification is possible and necessary in male-dominated professions in Lusatia. The “crass Lusatia” is a region where it is possible to break such clichés.
