Digital training at Siemens kicks off

The 2020 training year was hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. “Our training program faced tremendous new challenges, but our efforts were rewarded with very good results,” said Thomas Leubner, head of the Learning and Education Department. “We continued our training activities without interruption. To make it happen, we upgraded the program’s digital setup by leveraging the digital expertise of our company and our trainers.” In just a few weeks, virtual tools, platforms, software and simulations were acquired, a trainer community was set up and a virtual online curriculum was prepared and continuously developed. “By creating digital learning plans and weekly schedules and establishing direct communications between students and trainers via live seminars and virtual teaching units, learning transfer and, most importantly, social contact can be maintained,” explained Leubner. Digital learning at Siemens got a huge boost overall. “We’ve also redesigned our training concept,” said Barbara Ofstad, head of Siemens Professional Education in Germany. Trainers increasingly serve as mentors and coaches, using digital methods to create a mix of virtual and real, face-to-face learning environments. “The new teaching methods have been well received by apprentices and work-study participants and will continue to play an important role in the future,” continued Ofstad. Siemens’ application process has been digital for many years now. On the new training website shared by Siemens, Siemens Mobility and Siemens Healthineers, applicants can continue to apply online and also directly via their mobile devices. Since the website was launched in May 2020, more than 100,000 prospective applicants have visited the homepage, more than half via mobile devices.

Onsite training is slowly starting to pick up again, with coordinated safety measures now in place. The apprentices and work-study participants returning to face-to-face instruction are primarily trainees learning practical skills at machines and in laboratory facilities, for example. However, training will take place largely in a virtual format until further notice. In the first week of their professional careers, the new apprentices and work-study participants will be introduced to and integrated into the new learning approach and learning environment.

As in previous years, the primary focus of this year’s training will be on technical and IT professions, with about 87 percent of the participants preparing for occupations in one of those two fields. For the first time, nearly 50 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 – with focuses also on newly created job profiles such as industrial informatics, data science, applied mathematics and computer science – often combined with an IHK qualification. With a total of around 10,400 apprentices and students in work-study programs around the world, Siemens has one of the private sector’s largest and most innovative training programs worldwide. In fiscal 2019, Siemens invested more than €227 million in the training of young people globally, nearly €176 million of which was spent in Germany.