PASCO COUNTY — Germersheim, Germany, is nearly 5000 miles away from where Mitchell Wilkins works for Pasco County's utilities department.
But he jumped at the chance to spend time there.
"I just thought it was a great opportunity to experience the culture or a different country and see how they work,” said Wilkins.
Wilkins took his first-ever plane ride and went to Germany as part of an exchange program coordinated by Rotary International.
He worked for a water and natural gas company there.
"It's completely different than how we do a lot of things over here. We get a lot of our water from the natural aquifers and they get all their water from the elevations from the mountains,” Wilkins said.
Stevie Mirrop went to Germany too.
The veterinarian tech with Pasco Animal Services spent time at a private animal hospital.
"When I went over there it was a complete shock because we are a shelter and they are private. And their facility is absolutely beautiful. It's all white. It's floor to ceiling glass doors,” Mirrop said.
Despite the differences, both Stevie and Mitchell say they learned things from their German counterparts.
They also shared ideas from home.
"Pasco County is very efficient and I believe Germany is also very efficient. I think we can gain to benefit from exchanging trade ideas and ideals,” Wilkins said.
Pasco County has had an ongoing relationship with Germany.
Germersheim is known as a powerhouse for manufacturing.
Pasco's AmSkills program was set up to model how training is done there.
"We want to encourage more economic development here and to be able to say we have a training program very similar to the German-style of apprenticeship training has been real advantageous to us. We've had many company move here because of that training program,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.
One of those is the Swiss company Mettler Toledo.
It brought a manufacturing plant to Pasco County in Lutz that employees hundreds of people.
"I think it's always wonderful when you can have this cultural exchange and it makes our county very special and unique and also Germersheim, to be able to have their young professionals come here so I am looking for this program to grow,” said Starkey.
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