Next Generation
Whether vocational training or university lectures: Education is the key to a successful career, and skilled employees assure a company’s competitive edge. Daimler invests in the next generation of employees worldwide. C2C_NOFLASH
On the terrace of the Multikulti Café at the Carl Benz School of Engineering in Karlsruhe, Germany, a warm summer night is more entertaining than a multiplex cinema: The glass façade of the international residence hall allows glimpses of creative cuisine from around the world. On the second floor, a young Japanese woman and four South Africans make soup. Opposite them, a South Asian and an Arab slice onions. In a third kitchen, four students are already busy eating. Sometimes they wave to each other across the courtyard – enjoying an evening of socializing after a long day of learning. Misaki Nakajima crammed for finals all day. She came to Karlsruhe from Yokohama four years ago to obtain a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Now her oral examination is just weeks away. “It was hard in the beginning,” she says. “The language, the culture – and I didn’t know anybody.” At this stage, she sees only positive aspects to her decision. “My degree is in the bag, and I know so much about German culture. I’m counting on getting a terrific job when I get back to Japan.” Her studies at the Carl Benz School were enabled by a scholarship from Daimler. The same goes for her fellow students Dusty, Vuyo, Gladson, and Siphokazi from South Africa. Daimler talent scouts selected the students at a South African engineering school. They succeeded in convincing them of the advantages of study in Germany. | ||||||||||
In return for the expenses of a four-year degree, the students pledged to accept employment at Daimler South Africa on their return. An irresistible “deal,” says Dusty Jantjies from Johannesburg – “a tremendous opportunity.” Without the scholarship, he could never have afforded to train in Germany. The degree will make him an enviably desirable job candidate. The Carl Benz School of Engineering (formerly the International Department) at the University of Karlsruhe conducts Germany’s only engineering degree program in English. | ||||||||||
Attracting the best students
Professor Hartmut Weule, formerly a Board of Management member responsible for Research and Technology, inaugurated the program in 1999. Several other German manufacturing companies help finance the institution. Its name honors Carl Benz, the renowned engineer whose inventions laid the groundwork for the German automobile industry. Foreign fascination with the achievements of German engineering shows no signs of subsiding. Nonetheless, students from developing as well as industrialized nations are hesitant to study engineering in Germany: Last year, only 29 Japanese students of mechanical engineering were enrolled in German universities – including the ten in Karlsruhe. The U.S. contingent is a mere 60. With offerings in English, a broad palette of electives, individual counseling, and a spacious campus with student apartments, the Carl Benz School of Engineering offers top-flight international students conditions comparable with those at elite universities in the U.S.
With stiff international competition for the best-qualified candidates, Daimler has made significant progress in another arena during the past year: The company identified the best aspects of its 30 varying training programs for college graduates and integrated them all into CAReer – a unified program for all facilities worldwide, lasting 12 to 18 months. Young people who qualify for one of the 350 CAReer trainee positions in 2007 can be assured of optimal preparation for their future careers. Trainees are given profound insight into the company’s operation and have the opportunity, through two international specialization courses, for further development, both personal and professional.
With stiff international competition for the best-qualified candidates, Daimler has made significant progress in another arena during the past year: The company identified the best aspects of its 30 varying training programs for college graduates and integrated them all into CAReer – a unified program for all facilities worldwide, lasting 12 to 18 months. Young people who qualify for one of the 350 CAReer trainee positions in 2007 can be assured of optimal preparation for their future careers. Trainees are given profound insight into the company’s operation and have the opportunity, through two international specialization courses, for further development, both personal and professional.
Tobias Richwien is one of the successful applicants, having majored in engineering school in quality management and controlling. “When I saw CAReer on the internet, I was immediately impressed by the idea,” he says. “I could have gotten a good job somewhere else, but CAReer offers more than that. I’m getting training tailored to my future position. It’s ideal.” Not long after his first day in CAReer, he found himself in coveralls standing next to workers in the manufacturing plant, assembling truck exhaust systems. The engineer’s verdict: “A great idea. There’s no way you can optimize your own work unless you understand what other people are doing.” Today Tobias works in truck durability testing at the plant in Wörth, contributing to the development of longer-lasting vehicle components. | ||||||||||
Inga Pietruschka is one of them. After interning in a tire shop, the academic high school graduate applied to the mechanical engineering department of the University of Cooperative Education in Mannheim. At the same time, she signed a contract with Daimler: In the Mannheim engine plant, she learned to handle lathes, files, and machine tools. Every three months, it was back to the lecture hall. When all is said and done, Inga will have a bachelor’s degree and all the professional benefits of knowing the operation and culture of a large inter-national company from the inside. “Beyond the purely technical knowledge, Daimler taught me a lot about communication and soft skills, all the stuff they can’t teach you in school,” Inga says. The company offers B.A. programs in 11 different subjects.
A solid basic and continuing education program is indispensable for the professional success of each individual, while educated employees assures the competitiveness and sustainability of the company itself. Through apprenticeships and cooperative education, companies help assure fulfilling careers and prosperity for the next generation. That’s why Daimler provides far more trainee positions than necessary to meet its own needs: With nearly 8,000 apprentices in Germany, the company employs around 40 percent of all apprentices in the German automotive industry. In 2006, the company offered 1,650 entry-level apprentice positions, despite the decreasing total number of students completing school. That increase of 5 percent over the previous year will be retained for 2007.
“The support was excellent” Jasmin Faltermann
In 2006, one apprentice surprised the entire industry: Jasmin Faltermann was named Germany’s best automotive mechatronic technician by the German Chamber of Commerce. Having completed academic high school, Jasmin wanted to learn a “hands-on” trade – so she applied for an apprenticeship at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. “The support was excellent,” Jasmin says. She has since transferred to Hamburg, studying vehicle engineering. “The internal courses kept us up to date with the latest technology. Our instructors always made sure we were perfectly prepared for every test.” | ||||||||||
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EDUCATION WORLDWIDE |
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41°N/74°W/NEW YORK |
The Chrysler Group supports the Automotive High School in New York. Over 1,100 students prepare for careers in the automotive industry with regular practical training. A further initiative focuses on teachers in Michigan’s public elementary, middle, and high schools: The Daimler Corporation Fund honors outstanding teachers of mathematics, science, and technology with the Closing the Technology Gap in Education Award. |
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29°N/47°E/KUWAIT |
In addition to its existing training academies in Afghanistan and Russia, Daimler, with the Kuwait Investment Authority, opened the Daimler Automotive Academy Kuwait in November, 2006. The institution will create career opportunities for young people in Kuwait through comprehensive training in automotive technology and management. |
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31°N/35°E/BEIT SAHOUR |
With the GTZ, a German development authority, Daimler founded a training workshop in the Palestinian territories. In Beit Sahour, up to15 young people learn the basics of modern automotive technology. Formal training can help them obtain regular employment – a rarity in a troubled region. |
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23°S/29°E/LIMPOPO |
The Daimler Automotive Academy South Africa began operation in February, 2007. The training center offers disadvantaged youth from the Limpopo region a yearlong course that qualifies them to work as automobile mechanics. |
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16°S/35°E/BLANTYRE 1°S/37°E/NAIROBI |
The newest training center was dedicated by Daimler and the GTZ in June, 2007. At two locations – Blantyre, Malawi and Nairobi, Kenya – African youth receive two years of training as automotive mechatronic technicians. The regional training centers are intended to draw youth from Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, in addition to Kenya and Malawi. |
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26°S/28°E/JOHANNESBURG |
Since 2005, Daimler’s Students Experience Program (STEP) has invited students from southern Africa, in conjunction with the Southern Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI), to accept internships in Germany each year. |
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40°N/33°E/ANKARA |
A cooperative project among Haceteppe University in Ankara, the School of Engineering in Esslingen, Germany, and Mercedes-Benz Turkey provides supplemental language and professional training to 60 Turkish students of mechanical engineering. |
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35°N/140°E/KAWASAKI |
German-Japanese student exchange: The participation of Daimler and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) in an initiative to encourage cultural understanding between Japan and Germany, the Takenoko Fund, enables an international student exchange program. In 2006, 40 German students from institutions of higher education visited the assembly plant in Kawasaki. |
Please note
The information in the "Sustainability" section mainly refers to the 2006 reporting year. It thus may not always reflect the com- pany's current situation.
