Audi welcomes 694 vocational trainees and 42 cooperative education students
Sabine Maassen, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources and Organization at AUDI AG: “Vocational training at Audi means a focus on the technological fields of the future”
Flexible collaboration culture: learning at Audi also going digital
This fall, 694 vocational trainees and 42 cooperative education students will take the first step toward launching their careers at Audi’s Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites. Thanks to customized training content, the digital transformation is starting right at the beginning of their professional activities – just like in 2020, for example, young people are once again entering training programs to become “IT specialists specializing in digital connectivity.
”As such, AUDI AG is offering highly attractive prospects in technological fields of the future in the area of vocational training as well. In this context, the company is not only placing a strong focus on digitalization with respect to the subject matter but also in the way it is being taught. Under the company’s new labor-management agreement on remote learning, for example, trainees can spend up to 20 percent of their training program learning remotely via mobile devices.
Whether mechatronics technicians, IT specialists or industrial business management assistants – Audi has been helping young people successfully launch their careers at its Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites for more than 70 years. This year, AUDI AG is once again welcoming numerous new members into the Audi family.
At the Ingolstadt site, for example, 426 vocational trainees and 24 cooperative education students are starting their careers; in Neckarsulm, 268 vocational trainees and 18 cooperative education students are taking their first steps into the working world.
“Around 700 young people will be starting a new, exciting chapter in their lives in the coming days. This new beginning is one marked by anticipation and curiosity, but perhaps also a bit of anxiety about what will happen during the next three years. The Works Council and the youth and trainee representatives always have an open ear for the concerns of young Audi employees and are available to offer advice and support,” said Peter Mosch, chair of the General Works Council.
Today’s working world is undergoing a dynamic transformation process, and Audi is continuously aligning its training to the ever-changing requirements. As a result, young people at Audi have the opportunity to take on responsible tasks in future fields such as e-mobility or digitalization.
This year, 66 of them are beginning a training program to become IT specialists. IT specialists specializing in “digital connectivity,” for example, learn to help develop and optimize complex processes at the interface between IT and vehicle production, which will shape automotive manufacturing in the future.
“Our focus on career fields of the future begins during training. In this way, we help young people develop the elementary skills that will be crucial for tomorrow’s work right from the start,” noted Sabine Maaßen, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources and Organization at AUDI AG.
Today, 25 percent of the vocational training programs at Audi are now focused on digitalization. In addition to “IT specialist specializing in digital connectivity,” good examples also include “IT specialist specializing in application development” and “digitalization management specialists.”
Audi is also taking a systematically digital approach to the way in which content is conveyed to trainees. Remote learning was enshrined in the training curriculum in a labor-management agreement that came into force on September 1.
For this reason, all new trainees and students will receive laptops or tablets from Audi that will allow them to learn in a flexible manner even when they are not on the factory premises. In this context, the trainees will participate in guided digital teaching units or work on assignments independently via the Moodle learning platform.
Depending on the training program, the aspiring Audi employees will be able to spend up to 20 percent of their program learning remotely. In general, however, training will continue to take place on site – both at the Audi Academy training center as well as the relevant job rotation stations throughout the plants.
In addition to vocational training, the premium manufacturer also offers cooperative education programs. In these programs, students apply the theoretical knowledge gained from classroom-based instruction in practical assignments at the company’s sites.
Here, too, the brand with the four rings is training specialists early on in key future fields, with bachelor’s degree programs such as Electrical Engineering and Information Technology or master’s degree programs such as Robotics, Cognition, and Intelligence preparing students for the company’s progressive digitalization. This year, 42 young people are starting a cooperative education program at Audi.
Finally, the secure prospects that AUDI AG offers its trainees and students are a major incentive – the company guarantees that they will all be offered a permanent position upon successfully completing their program. In this way, the company is working with them to prepare for the electrified and digitalized world of tomorrow.
