Sales Trainee with Football Talent

Stine Nørgaard is a trainee in the Danish sales department at DS Stålprofil. She completed her upper-secondary education at EUX Business in Aalborg and is currently undertaking an additional trainee­ship that will lead to the title of sales assistant.

Stine Nørgaard is 20 years old and comes from Als near Hadsund, where she lives with her parents. Stine completed her upper-secondary education at EUX Business in Aalborg – a two-year upper-secondary business programme culminating in final examinations. Among other things, the qualification provides access to university, but it can also be supplemented by a two-year traineeship at a company. ­Stine has chosen to combine her education with a two-year apprenticeship at DS Stålprofil.

The Best Gut Feeling

“I came across the job advertisement from DS Stålprofil on social media. You look in many places to find the right traineeship, but I had always known about DS Gruppen through my keen interest in football, and this was simply where I had the best gut feeling. So, after the job interview, it felt completely natural to say YES to the traineeship.”

Responsibility from Day One

“It has been an incredibly exciting training programme, and I have been given an enormous amount of responsibility from day one. I am not ‘just the trainee’, placed in a corner with tasks that no one else wants to do – DS Stålprofil has no ‘trainee tasks’. I do the same work as my colleagues in the department, I am given independent assignments, and I am allowed to see them through to completion.”

“Of course, my work was checked at the beginning, and I received the support I needed, but today I am responsible for it myself – even if I make a mistake. Making mistakes is always frustrating, but you learn the most when you are allowed to correct them yourself, and it shows that my colleagues trust me. That feels really great.”

“When I started, I barely knew what a gutter was,” Stine laughs, “but I have gradually gained more knowledge and established my own contacts. I primarily sell sheet metal and flashings to timber merchants. I can also help a carpenter if he has questions about installation, but if it gets too technical, I transfer him to the building technology department. Apart from that, I mainly work with order entry, quote calculations, drawings of flashings and telephone advice.”

“I was just incredibly happy when Tonny asked me whether I wanted to stay on after August. ‘YES, please, I’d absolutely love to.’”

– Stine Nørgaard

In the Shadow of Coronavirus

Stine Nørgaard began her trainee programme at DS Stålprofil in August 2019, so COVID-19 has affected almost her entire apprenticeship.

“It has been a strange time. We have worked in teams, eaten lunch at our desks, and it has not been possible to meet across departments or hold social events. It was also particularly challenging when, as a first-year apprentice, I had to manage on my own in the department while my colleagues were on holiday, but it was an extremely valuable learning experience.”

Football Talent

Stine Nørgaard has played football since she was six years old and now plays at elite level for AAB in the Gjensidige Women’s League.

Stine drives directly from work in Hobro to training in Aalborg and then home to her parents in Als. That means many hours of travelling on top of work, training and match fixtures, so having her own flat in Aalborg is high on her wish list.

“In Year 9, I attended an elite sports class at Nørrevang School in Randers, where I developed a taste for the elite sporting environment. So, for Year 10, I attended the BGI Horsens residential school, where I received elite training. While I was there, I was approached and encouraged to aim higher in football.”

“I train four times a week and play matches at the weekend. Football takes up almost all my free time, and DS Stålprofil has proved to be very flexible – no one minds if I need to adjust my working hours for an important match, and that means a great deal to me.”

Sales Assistant

When you compete in sport at an elite level, you naturally always have dreams and ambitions, but right now Stine is thriving and fully focused on her traineeship, with football on the “sidelines”. She has also been offered a permanent position at DS Stålprofil once she completes her training as a sales assistant in August.

“I had been hoping for a long time that I would be offered a permanent position at DS Stålprofil once I had finished my training, and I was absolutely delighted when Tonny asked whether I would like to stay on after August. ‘YES, please, I would absolutely love to’ – I have just signed the contract,” Stine exclaims.

About the Author

Annemarie (Fie) Baumann

With her solid experience as both a graphic designer and art director, Fie sets the visual direction for communication across the companies in DS Gruppen. With a sharp eye for design, she ensures that the visuals support the message and capture attention. Fie also brings many years of experience as both a writer and photographer, including from her time working in publishing and running her own advertising agency. Her background also includes extensive experience with visual communication for both B2B and B2C audiences.