First day of training for the digital work world

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- Around 2,100 apprentices and university students in work-study programs at 20 Siemens locations are starting their professional lives
- International training program includes 31 participants from 14 countries
- Training program focuses on digital transformation process
- Training as an important foundation for lifelong learning

Around 2,100 young people in Germany alone are beginning their occupational training with Siemens today. At 20 locations in Germany, Siemens will be training about 1,500 people for its own needs as well as another 600 participants for external partner companies. In Berlin, 31 young people from 14 countries are taking part in the International Tech Apprenticeship@Siemens (ITA@S) program, including apprentices from Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa. The ITA@S apprentices have been sent to Berlin by their local Siemens Regional Companies for training as electronics technicians for industrial engineering or as mechatronics technicians. In total, 111 young people from outside Germany are completing training as part of the ITA@S program.

"Occupational training is foundational for our company's future. One clear focus of our training program is on the responsible use of digital technologies, which are bringing enormous change to the working world and to society. For years now, we've been continuously adapting our training programs to new requirements, to digital content and to agile teaching methods in order to keep pace with these changes. In this way, we can ensure that our trainees are well prepared for the future," said Thomas Leubner, who heads the company's Learning and Education department.

Siemens integrates key topics related to digitalization - such as data analytics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, robotics and cybersecurity - into the curricula for company-based apprenticeships and for work-study programs for university students. The didactics and teaching methods are continuously adapted to accommodate the digital transformation of the programs' training content and of the occupational subject matter. Challenging project work, for example, helps convey knowledge and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. In addition to the latest technical equipment, the programs increasingly use digital media such as e-learning and virtual courses, extended reality, knowledge challenges, videos, quizzes and podcasts.

As in previous years, the primary focus of this year's training will be on technical and IT professions, with about 85 percent of the participants being prepared for occupations in one of those two fields. Roughly 40 percent of the training positions are for university students in work-study programs. While apprentices pursue vocational certification from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), work-study participants complete their studies with a bachelor's degree in engineering or science, often combined with an IHK qualification. With a total of around 10,900 apprentices and students in work-study programs around the world, Siemens has one of the private sector's largest and most innovative in-company training programs worldwide. In fiscal 2018, Siemens invested more than €234 million in the training of young people globally, nearly €182 million of which was spent in Germany.

Siemens is also blazing new trails when it comes to recruiting trainees. In its "MINTfluencer" social-media campaign, short video clips star Siemens trainees as influencers. The campaign name is a word play on "MINT," which is the German equivalent of science, technology, education and mathematics (STEM). Since the campaign has been very well received so far, other work-study participants and apprentices will be accompanied by media activities for one week and featured on Instagram beginning this month.

"It's important to gain solid initial training, but continuous professional development is equally important. We all need be ready to constantly learn new things over the course of our careers. The speed at which new technologies emerge makes it necessary for us to learn throughout our lives," said Leubner.

Further information on the topic of training is available at www.siemens.com/career and on Instagram (in German only) at www.instagram.com/siemens_ausbildung.