Exchange Gives German Apprentices Taste of Atlanta’s Working World

Atop the Southface Institute, a group of German apprentices took a moment under the sun to appreciate a hive of bees, aging solar panels and a rainwater collection system that helps feed a living roof. 

But hearing a presentation over the din of nearby construction wasn’t easy: The nonprofit’s Old Fourth Ward demonstration home, built in the 1990s, now sits in one of the hottest areas of the city. 

For the 20 visiting German young professionals, apprentices in fields from health insurance to metal bending, it was an education not only in the evolution of sustainable building methods, but also in how the city has grown since the 1996 Olympic Games put it on the global map. 

Already by that time, Joachim Herz, an heir to Germany’s Tchibo coffee empire, had carved out his own niche investing in corporate real estate in Atlanta, eschewing the ease of inheritance for the challenge of entrepreneurship.

In 1997, he co-founded Coro Realty, developing shopping centers around the South. Over time, he also amassed 2,700 acres to build out a family ranch retreat in Newton County. 

Mr. Herz, who died in a lake accident in 2008, left his billion-dollar fortune to an eponymous foundation, the Joachim Herz Stiftung, based in Hamburg.

The organization now pays homage to his appreciation for the American spirit of enterprise — and his love for Atlanta — by supporting transatlantic engagement. 

That’s how, every year, German young people find themselves visiting the city to observe American work culture and to glean cross-cultural experience to bolster their professional development. 

After graduating secondary school, many Germans move straight into vocational apprenticeships that blend three-to-four days of work per week with a company with one-to-two days of targeted schooling. The vaunted apprenticeship model has been emulated on a small scale in places like Newnan, Ga., home to the GA-CATT program, and is seen as a possible antidote to technical worker shortages (and student loan debt) in the U.S.

Unlike the liberal arts, where study-abroad opportunities abound, apprentices see fewer chances for overseas exchange. 

Lena Stark, who works in freight forwarding, was motivated to join this year’s program by the chance to improve her dealings with cross-border clients. 

“I was really interested in improving my English skills, meeting new people, because I have a very International job,” she told Global Atlanta. It’s been interesting, she added, to observe the differences in office (or work-from-home) culture between Germany and the U.S., especially in the logistics field. 

Across the six-week program, the Azubis, as the trainees are called in German, visit companies, nonprofits and university departments on an itinerary that rotates through themes like manufacturing, logistics and sustainability. 

Kennesaw State University serves as their local host, its German program pairing the visiting apprentices with “peer buddies” who show them the ropes of American student life while practicing their own German language skills. 

“It’s an excellent opportunity for Kennesaw students to interact with peers from a different part of the world and really get to know them intensively over six weeks, not just in a classroom, but also outside the classroom,” said KSU Associate Professor Shane Peterson. 

KSU German major Amanda Buchanan started studying the language after being introduced to the band Rammstein by her mom.

That cultural introduction led to an enduring linguistic interest that she hopes to parlay into a full-time role upon graduation in May, perhaps in project management with a German company invested in Georgia. 

Having studied and traveled in Germany, she understands a bit of what the Azubis are going through and signed up to help them adapt to the new culture. One area where she knows they’re seeing major differences: simply getting around. 

“Outside of Atlanta, you don’t really have public transit that’s really going to get you anywhere,” Ms. Buchanan said. 

That’s attested by the Azubis USA blog that the apprentices keep each year, with the 2026 cohort cataloging their learning experiences with fast food, rental cars and extended-stay hotels. 

They also offer detailed summaries of corporate visits to companies like Vanderlande, the Dutch provider of conveyance systems with a large new headquarters in Cobb County, and Albaform, the Czech company that makes seat frames in Flowery Branch. 

Luisa Winter, who works in logistics for a steel company back home in Germany, was impressed by the precision required to meet the exacting standards of auto makers. But she also took note of the company’s 100 percent female ownership and the way long-time employees moved up the ranks.

“Beyond the technology and processes, what left a lasting impression was the people behind the company. Albaform places a strong emphasis on personal development, curiosity, and openness,” Ms. Winter wrote. 

Those impressions are exactly the reason the Joachim Herz Stiftung focuses on structured interactions with Atlanta institutions around themes of study, rather than simply cultural visits, says Iris Schultz, who manages the exchange program for the foundation.

On April 20, the apprentices will finish out their sustainability module with a visit to Sonnen, a German provider of energy storage systems for homes and businesses.

That’s one thing that Southface, with its gray water harvesting, light shelves and composting, didn’t offer.

But technical principal Mike Barcik, an expert in sustainable building design, did shower their country with praise during an impromptu dialogue in which he gauged student views on the future of the planet. 

And the connection was made at perhaps just the right time: Mr. Barcik is headed to Germany to admire its recycling and architectural practices in person for the first time in August.

Southface, which originated the EarthCraft label for buildings, consulted on the certification for the renvoated Joachim Herz House in Covington, on the site of the former Little Springs Farm. The students visited the house in one of their earliest engagements after arriving in Atlanta.