Cross-border training: it's all about the variety

The Michelin tyre plant in Karlsruhe was a pioneer in cross-border training between Germany and France. This was where the first trainee from France began his vocational education and training under the dual system. Anne Schalk is training manager at Michelin and her overall assessment after four years is very positive. As a result, this year - for the first time - there are twice as many trainees from France than from Germany starting their training at the Karlsruhe plant.

An increasing shortage of qualified skilled workers is becoming apparent in Baden-Wurttemberg and in particular in the technology region of Karlsruhe. In neighbouring Alsace, by contrast, levels of unemployment are high, particularly among young people. Michelin AG & Co. KGaA responded to this some years ago. In 2013, 19 year-old Valentin Busche was the first trainee from France to start his training as a maintenance technician with Michelin. This was made possible by a framework agreement initiated in 2013 to support the cross-border mobility of trainees.

"Our trainers are very satisfied with the high standard that the French trainees bring with them. They are already older and have a qualification equivalent to our upper secondary school leaving certificate. The only difference is that this is already based on a technical specialism," says Anne Schalk, who is responsible for training at Michelin. In total, 13 French trainees have already completed their qualification at Michelin. They were all taken on and, with the exception of one student, all have remained with the company.

"The training for the French trainees is organised in a similar way to that in Germany and is split into blocks of theory and practice. While attending vocational school in France, they go to a company in Germany. The qualification is completed in France and some of the training pathways are also recognised here," explains Anne Schalk. For French students, the training is shortened to two years because they have already completed theoretical training beforehand.

Because numbers of young German applicants continue to fall, there is a belief that you are heading in the right direction with Michelin. This is because in the coming years increasing numbers of skilled workers will be retiring from the company. Each year the company seeks to train between 3 and 5 mechatronics fitters from Germany, and even more if their school-based qualifications are good. This is in addition to the French trainees.

Anna makes it clear that they never compete with the Germans. "Everyone brings their own strengths which we absolutely need. This variety is entirely positive." This year, once again, nine mechatronics fitters are starting their training at Michelin. For the first time, this includes twice as many French trainees (6) as German (3).