On March 2, 2020, 100 students started their “Faculty 73” qualification program at the AutoUni. During a full-time two-year course, they will be trained as junior software developers for the automotive industry. The Volkswagen Group Academy launched its innovative concept with the first generation of students beginning of March 2019 and is doubling the number of students in 2020 up to two generations. The third generation is due to start on September 1, 2020 and internal and external IT talents can apply for a place on the courseup to March 8 2020.
The second generation of Faculty 73 is more diverse than the first, with nine percent women and participants from more than seven nations (Turkey, Spain, Italy, Yemen, Egypt, Mexico Malaysia). The recruitment of two refugees is worthy of special mention. As level B2 in German is needed for participation in training, the Group refugee aid body will be providing language courses for the two students concerned.
Mohammed Alashtal, who succeeded in the selection procedure and originally came from Jordan, says “Faculty 73 is a new chapter in my life and will hopefully be the start of a career with Volkswagen.”
“A diverse workforce is a key success factor for us,” says Elke Heitmüller, Head of Diversity. “For an international company like Volkswagen which is currently in the course of transformation, diversity is extremely important. A comparison with nature may make this clearer. For example, a mixed forest can adapt more effectively to changing environmental conditions than a monoculture. Companies too are in a better position to adapt to a rapidly changing, increasingly diverse environment if very different talents can achieve their full potential within their workforce.”
Christian Matzedda, Member of the Works Council and Deputy Chairman of the General Works Council on the Education Committee, says: “We can already speak of a success story today. With Faculty 73, we are developing the software skills we will need in the future. This is a key element in the Volkswagen strategy. The program gives impressive proof of the benefits of good project cooperation between HR, the departments and the Works Council. I wish the participants every success on their exciting program.”
In addition to new students from the Volkswagen plants at Hanover, Brunswick, Salzgitter, Kassel and Wolfsburg, talents from the whole of Germany, for example from Berlin, Bremen, and Aachen, have started training with Faculty 73 in order to place their passion for software development on a professional footing.
SOURCE: Volkswagen
