Starting a career at Volkswagen:
The number of trainees studying IT and electronics is growing

The car industry is changing faster than ever before. What does this mean for the new trainees?

Görtz: They are starting their career at an incredibly exciting time! Volkswagen is on the way to becoming a climate-neutral company and is driving e-mobility, digitalization and autonomous driving. The new recruits can play a significant role in this in their various professions. During their first few weeks of training they will also notice that a large number of young people have opted for the growing future field of electronics and IT. This is definitely a good choice, seeing as the skills learned in this area are already paramount in our industry and are being developed continuously.

Sicilia: However, even though the number of commercial professions is declining, we mustn’t forget that these are also jobs for the future that are developing. Expanding skills and tasks, for example, related to flexible working or specialisation with regard to process monitoring and networking teams, is just as important in these areas.

Can you quantify the shift in apprenticeships and degree programmes?

Görtz: Up until 2015, more than 35 percent of our trainees were learning metal professions and around 14 percent were learning commercial professions. We have changed the portfolio significantly since then, in response to the change in demand for digital skills: This year, almost two thirds of the new recruits at Volkswagen AG are being trained in the electrical/IT field, in technical dual courses of study and at Faculty 73. We have expanded our range of technical degree programmes – for example, we have added chemistry and chemical engineering in Salzgitter.

Are the once dominant metal professions in car construction becoming irrelevant?

Sicilia: Naturally, software is becoming more and more important, but car bodies still need to be built with high precision. So, traditional apprenticeships in the metal sector and the skills acquired through this for skilled labour in industrial production will continue to be important in the future. This must not be forgotten in communication.

Görtz: I agree with that. But we have to prepare for the increased use of mechatronic systems; meaning that more and more electronic components are being added to the mechanical parts. And we’re responding to this with our modified training concepts.

What exactly are the new professions?

Görtz: Let’s take an example from Wolfsburg: Starting this year, we are training what are known as “EIS” – electronics engineers for information and systems technology – here for the first time. The new recruits are learning how to develop electronic circuits, programme microprocessor systems and install IT systems, for example. In the field of IT in particular, we are also offering new qualification paths – such as a junior software developer qualification at Faculty 73. Volkswagen founded this new programming school back in 2018.

Sicilia: There are other professions, such as “industrial mechanic in automotive construction”, “businessperson for digitalisation management” and “digital engineering in mechanical engineering”. Overall, our training professions are up-to-date, future-proof, digitised and adapted to the requirements of the future. But there is another important aspect that interests me: We are also promoting qualification measures that are directly linked to the training and lead to the specialist departments. Taking a commissioning engineer as an example, this means that young employees who were in production after their training are trained to set up software in the vehicles.

How is the coronavirus pandemic influencing training?

Sicilia: Naturally, dealing with coronavirus meant that big changes had to be made. Both in terms of the actual learning, and with regard to protecting health. As a works council, we asked for measures to be taken for both aspects early on – for the field of education, and beyond. Protecting health has always been important to us, particularly when it comes to training, where we are responsible for young people. This is why we are delighted that, together with the company, we were so successful in initiating measures that do justice to the particular (learning) situation of the trainees. The pandemic also affected another area: Our trainees have long been active politically, for example during the Antifa week, or in Auschwitz for our memorial culture with the meetings there, in interactions and working at the memorial site. But coronavirus meant that a lot of things we usually do weren’t possible. We all very much hope that more normality will be restored in this area as well soon, and that things will again be possible the way they once were.

Görtz: Good hygiene concepts have meant that we have been able to avoid extended periods of lockdown during training so far. With the exception of two months, the new recruits have been able to spend at least some of their practical training period in the training centre and at the company. We’re very pleased about this. Our numbers show that the pandemic has not had any adverse effects on training success and thereby on career prospects. The examination results achieved are on a par with the high level achieved before coronavirus.

However, the coronavirus pandemic did change our training: We adapted teaching concepts and the way of learning, and modified the general conditions. It was a great help to us that all of the technical apprentices already had access to a tablet before the start of the pandemic – which is important for mobile learning. The business trainees use a company laptop. Our instructors are in close contact with their trainees every working day – which enables us to support the group and each individual in good time and based on their needs.

What are the next steps?

Görtz: During the pandemic, we gained additional positive experience with digital and self-guided learning. We want to keep making use of these advantages. We are confident that knowledge transfer is becoming more agile and flexible, and offers more configuration options. And the role of the instructors is changing as well. Their high level of expertise means they are increasingly becoming educational supervisors for young people. We want to promote self-guided learning, through project work for example, sometimes across different professions. This is important because the challenges of the future can only be solved together. My prediction is that the trainees who will be successful in the future are those who are able to solve complex problems together. This requires creativity, empathy and holistic thinking – as well as the willingness to continuously gain new knowledge. In vocational training we are already laying the foundation for a stable yet adaptable company.

Sicilia: That’s right! And Faculty 73 shows that these kinds of concepts are successful. But we are also facing a paradigm shift in the traditional world of training as well: On the one hand, independent learning is required, and on the other hand collaboration and communication. This doesn’t just happen. There needs to be more offerings, and these skills need to be actively promoted. This is what we are committed to!