Breaking Barriers: Building Talent and Inspiring Inclusion

^{Written by Olga Zharkova | December 18, 2024}

In the bustling world of construction, where teamwork and precision drive every project, stories of perseverance often emerge in extraordinary ways. Martin Noser’s journey stands out — not only because of his decades-long career at Hilti, but because of the powerful example he sets as a talented engineer who has thrived while navigating the challenges of a hearing impairment.

For more than 40 years, Martin has worked at Hilti's headquarters in Liechtenstein as a design and prototyping engineer in Corporate Research. Alongside his daily work, he has also taken on the vital role of supervising apprentices and preparing them to succeed in their own careers.

After completing a four-year apprenticeship as a mechanical draughtsman at Hilti and attending the vocational school for the hearing impaired in Zurich Switzerland, Martin went on to study mechanical engineering at a technical college. After graduating, he taught hearing-impaired vocational students in Zurich for half a day a week from 1992 to 1996.

Recognizing his passion for teaching, a vocational trainer at Hilti invited him to supervise designer trainees. He eagerly embraced the opportunity and has now been mentoring young talent for over 20 years. However, following this path has not been without its obstacles. “Group settings can be challenging,” Martin shares. “Without a sign language interpreter, spontaneous group meetings become difficult.”

When conversing with others, Martin primarily reads lips and uses a hearing aid that helps him detect vowel sounds. While some situations can be difficult to navigate, he says that “the advent of the internet has brought significant advantages, such as corporate messengers and other online tools.”

"During training sessions, I communicate in High German and lip-read, and sometimes a sign language interpreter translates for me. The apprentices find it exciting to go through this new experience," summarizes Martin.

One of Martin’s former trainees shares this about his experience: "When we collaborated on projects, we often relied on gestures and written messages to get our ideas across. It was a unique experience that highlighted the importance of a shared language, but also demonstrated the incredible power of gestures and mutual understanding,” says Pascal Fankhauser who has moved on to become a design engineer at Hilti.

Throughout his career as an engineer at Hilti, Martin has experienced Hilti's caring and performance-oriented culture firsthand. Martin states that the best thing about his job is being able to see how the apprentices develop and become increasingly independent. “I enjoy passing on my many years of experience and knowledge to young people and I'm glad to be part of their journey,” he sums up.