At the beginning of July, Optima gave a "digital welcome" to the new apprentices and students at the Digital Innovation Center. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that it was not possible for the customary afternoon of getting to known each other to take place in person.

Forty-five trainees and students starting at Optima in September and October, respectively, and their parents followed the virtual event. The concept was very well received by the professionals of the future.

The digital welcome was on July 3 and ran for an hour. Sebastian Henke, director human resources, welcomed the trainees on behalf of the Optima management, and gave a short presentation of the company with the aid of a corporate film. Volker Freisinger, the head of Optima manufacturing GmbH, provided information about the training center and gave some interesting facts about the training at Optima. An informative video provided by the training center offered interesting insights into the vocational training.

The webinar was made more accessible and personalized with interviews with trainers and apprentices, with humorous anecdotes and stories from daily training, and information about their professional careers. Trainees Erik Wurst, Niklas Bareiss, Florian Bruder, and Leon Simon presented their apprenticeships as a mechatronics technician, an industrial mechanic, a cutting machine operator and an automation electronics technician. The trainees used standard tools such as what are known as wire end ferrule crimping tools and demonstrated standard work processes to show what is awaiting their future co-workers. It was also a chance to gain an insight into Optima's innovation – the Digital Innovation Center and the Additive Innovation Center.

Verena Konz from Optima Human Resources Development and a project team made up of trainees, who working together had built a miniature trade show machine using Lego-Technic, self-designed 3D printed parts and stainless steel elements using the Scrum method, demonstrated the level of responsibility that can be taken on in the training phase at Optima.