Stuttgart/Leipzig. With today’s opening of the new training centre, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is investing in the future of its trainees at its site in the German state of Saxony. The new build offers a total of 2,300 square metres of modern workshop and seminar space as well as innovative teaching tools. This provides the ideal infrastructure for vocational training in an automotive industry that is in a constant state of change. “More than anything else, the Porsche success story is the result of a highly qualified and motivated team. To ensure future success and account for the requirements of Industry 4.0, we’re setting an important milestone in training excellence”, explained Albrecht Reimold, Member of the Executive Board for Production and Logistics at Porsche AG. He was speaking at the official opening at the Leipzig site in front of high-ranking guests, including State Secretary for the Saxon State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs, Dr Frank Pfeil.
“This investment from Porsche is a significant sign for Saxony, for the economic strength of the region and for the young people leaving our schools, especially those leaving secondary school”, Pfeil affirmed. “Germany’s dual education system is regarded as a successful model across the world. In Saxony, we can justifiably claim to offer young people outstanding training and education opportunities. This is thanks in no small part to Porsche and the automotive industry that is established here”.
In the new training year, Porsche will qualify more than 120 trainees as industrial mechanics, tool mechanics, mechatronics engineers and automotive mechatronics engineers at its site in Leipzig, while preparing them for working life. For the first time ever, the company will also offer the option of a dual course in the field of mechanical engineering. “With this framework, we’re training more young people than ever before in the history of our company. When the first Porsche rolled off the production line at the site 15 years ago, we had five trainees. As a result of the strong growth at the site and the expanded workforce, it has become more important than ever to recruit trainees. The new training centre heralds a new era for vocational training”, stresses Siegfried Bülow, Chair of the Executive Board at Porsche Leipzig GmbH.
The new build creates important synergies by providing an infrastructure for the growing number of trainees as well as opportunities for qualifying employees in new processes and technologies alongside their job. “Our employees are our most important asset”, emphasises Andreas Haffner, Member of the Executive Board for Human Resources and Social Affairs at Porsche AG. “We rank among the top employers in Germany. To live up to this title, we’re giving our employees further training. The new training centre provides the space and opportunity for life-long learning, which is the key to success”.
Training at the Porsche site in Leipzig has long been closely partnered with the GaraGe VDI technology centre in Leipzig Plagwitz, where school pupils are prepared for future vocational training. “The purpose of the workshop for school pupils is to bring automotive technology to life and to inspire pupils to join the Porsche training scheme. With our new programmes, we’re hoping to target young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and give them the chance to prepare for the start of their careers”, explains Werner Weresch, Member of the Group Works Council at Porsche AG.
