When Emese Katona arrived in Germany ten years ago, all she could say was “Guten Tag”. At school in Hungary, where she comes from, she learnt English and French – German was not on the timetable. She hadn’t even done her final exams when she took the decision to leave Hungary. “My mother had been made redundant, my dad couldn't find any work at the time and my ex-boyfriend was already living in Germany. So we emigrated, at first just my dad and me,” the now 27-year-old explains.
She then completed her schooling by distance learning and, at 19 years old, started her first job – a temporary position in assembly at Krones. In the meantime, her mother and brother had also moved over. After some time, Emese moved to Logistics and worked in the warehouse. She liked it there from the start – so she had no hesitation in putting in an application when a permanent position finally became available. She didn't let the fact she had no training qualifications put her off. Together with her boss, Martin Sigl, she looked for suitable opportunities. “I couldn't simply stop working and start an apprenticeship, after all, I had to continue earning. But I needed training to get the position, though, so I looked for a solution that could somehow be combined with the job,” Emese continues. “I definitely wanted to stay at Krones.”
