Top training companies recognised in the automotive trade

Three successful automotive companies have been recognised at the "VET Meeting Place" event of the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs with the first-time awarding of the "AutoBerufe Award"—an automotive occupations award.

The three companies were recognised because they have adopted innovative methods in attracting new workers, provide training with a future focus, as well as ongoing continual training for employees.

Following a brief film in which the nominated company's presented themselves, conference participants voted online to decide on the final placings. The prize was awarded by Birgit Behrens, Director for Vocational Education and Training at the Central Association of the German Automotive Industry (ZDK), together with sponsoring partner representatives Fuchs Schmierstoffe, Nürnberger Versicherung and Lucas-Nülle GmbH.

Finding and retaining new qualified skilled workers was the main focus of the new "VET Meeting Place" [VET: Vocational Education and Training] event with its dialogue-based format. The event replaces the previous national vocational education and training congress. Around 250 trainers, automotive business leaders, representatives of automotive manufacturers and importers, vocational school teachers and association representatives came together in workshops to address the strategic themes relating to initial and continuing vocational education and training.

Issues covered ranged from overall company management, to successful recruitment of skilled workers and strategic personnel development, through to individualised strategies for initial and continuing vocational education and training. Keynote speaker Professor Dr. Jörg Knoblauch set the tone for what was to come in his presentation "Correct management—how excellent companies find and retain the best employees". In a discussion forum which followed, business leaders including those outside the automotive trade talked about successful personnel work using examples from practice.

Former director of Google Germany, Christian Baudis, moved the focus onto digitalisation in the automotive trade and the demands placed on companies as a result.

For Birgit Behrens, Director for Vocational Education and Training at the Central Association of the German Automotive Industry (ZDK), the "VET Meeting Place" event had made one thing clear. Today it is no longer just about finding and training new qualified workers. Instead, in future it will be more about the important work of retaining employees, continuing to train them and to make them fully aware of prospects in the automotive trade.

As she says, this is because generation Y (20 to 30-year olds) and Z (the under-20s) are fully "digitalised" and therefore well prepared for the current requirements in the automotive trade. The automotive businesses leaders should thus make use of this digital competence of the younger generations.

She added that the sector is still very attractive for young people and that the occupation of motor vehicle mechatronics technician is still by far the most popular training occupation among young men. The current indicators for the training year 2017/18 which has just begun shows that this positive trend is set to continue, but she added this was also the case for the commercial occupations.

According to Birgit Behrens however, it is also clear that in light of the falling numbers of school leavers from general education schools, the automotive trade was facing increasingly fierce competition for new workers. She explained that it therefore made sense, for example, to consider the growing number of dropouts from higher education and to make them aware of potential future prospects.

According to Birgit Behrens, the aim is that the new ZDK "VET Meeting Place" event and the "AutoBerufe - Mach Deinen Weg!" initiative—a national initiative aimed at attracting new workers to the automotive trade—should become established every two years as the key dialogue platform for all matters relating to training and continuing education in the automotive trade.