Volkswagen Board Member for Human Resources, Gunnar Kilian, said: “Today, the world of work, technologies and forms of cooperation are changing faster than ever before. That is why we are aligning our vocational training with foresight, because we are convinced that specialists with first-rate qualifications are one of the foundations for technological top performance and sustainable commercial success in the digital age, too”.
Kilian added: “For young people, that means: anyone who successfully completes their vocational training at Volkswagen is very well prepared for their future career”.
Gerardo Scarpino, Works Council member and Chairperson of the Education Committee, commented: “Here at Volkswagen, vocational trainees and students on the dual study programs are highly motivated and a positive asset for every technical department. At ‘Zukunftsforum Ausbildung’, our young colleagues demonstrate their skills using the very latest technologies. The technical departments must give them even greater opportunities, though, and deploy even more vocational trainees and students on the dual study programs. In this age of digitalization, we must once and for all bring together vocational training, professional development and skills acquisition under one roof with a consistent approach”.
Ralph Linde, Head of the Volkswagen Group Academy, explained: “New technologies and digital media play an important role in our vocational training. Our instructors are learning guides who use a variety of methods to support the self-determined learning of our vocational trainees. This is how we train skilled, committed and team-oriented specialists and encourage them to engage in continuous learning”.
Board of Management members, HR managers, vocational training experts, Works Council members, youth representatives and vocational trainees were among the participants at “Zukunftsforum Ausbildung”.
The vocational trainees played a special role in organizing the conference. The youth and trainee representatives committee planned and prepared the event together with Volkswagen Group Academy. Some 50 trainees took an active part in the forum. Together with experts and instructors, they presented and explained how forward-looking vocational training at Volkswagen is implemented by showcasing projects at five “market stalls”. These projects included the following:
Smart factory in the cloud
The equipment and learning platform developed in-house features technologies required for present and future manufacturing plant. Based on action-oriented projects, vocational trainees and instructors acquire the skills needed both now and in the factory of the future.
Augmented reality – visual learning support app for die casting machines
With the help of an iPad, vocational trainees learn about the components and their design as well as the functions of a die casting machine. The augmented reality app is the basis for further knowledge transfer about die casting machines.
eGon – eGolf on-board electrics
Vocational trainees designed a complex learning model to visualize the electrical architecture from simple cables to sensors and acoustic technology. This model enables vocational trainees to practice diagnostic skills under real-world conditions and better understand contexts. An iPad reads a QR code which then enables the vocational trainees to access learning units on individual systems.
Faculty 73
Volkswagen’s “Faculty 73” program trains software developers to work for the company. Participants from the first intake that began training in April 2019 gave an insight into the curriculum, practical projects and how the program is run.