Training
We regard an investment in training as an investment in the future of our company. That’s why we will continue to expand the professions covered by our forward-looking training programs. We have also adjusted the number of trainees to our company’s needs. At the end of 2010 Daimler had 8,841 trainees worldwide (2009: 9,151; 2008: 9,603; 2007: 9,300). In Germany we took on 2,034 trainees (2009: 2,341; 2008: 2,500; 2007: 2,600).
The Daimler Training System (DTS). The Daimler Training System (DTS) introduced in 2008 makes it possible for our employees to flexibly respond to future challenges as well. The goal of the DTS is to ensure continued high-quality and efficient training at Daimler plants in Germany and rapidly incorporate technological innovations into the training process. The DTS already covers all technical professions. At the moment we are expanding our system for commercial training at Daimler plants and for the sales and financial services units at Daimler. The DTS also formed the basis for the creation of a database for international training — the Daimler Vocational Training System (DVTS).
The Daimler Training System (DTS) is based on a model of self-contained activity. The system is divided into the following steps: information, planning, decision-making, execution, monitoring, and evaluation. The trainees are given work assignments and key tasks for planning the individual steps of the assignments in a work schedule. Situational discussions with the instructors help the trainees improve their decision-making skills and reflect on and optimize their actions and performance. In this process, the trainees are taught by means of a variety of training methods, including working in projects, addressing real-life tasks, learning in small teams, and obtaining information on their own.
An integral part of the DTS is the Daimler Training Portal (DTP), which serves as a work and communication platform for our instructors and trainees. The portal is currently at the project stage.
International training. Our international training system supports our training centers around the globe by providing them with materials, training methods, and qualification programs for the instructors. This work not only benefits our partners abroad and their customers; it also makes a valuable social contribution in countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka.
- Saudi Arabia: The government of Saudi Arabia has launched a program to integrate young Saudis into the private sector. Together with our general agent in Saudi Arabia, E.A. Juffali & Brothers Ltd., we are supporting this effort through the construction of a new training center in Jeddah.
- Sri Lanka: After Sri Lanka pacified its northeast provinces, our general agent in the country, Dimo (Diesel and Motor Engineering Company), set up another training center in Jaffna with our support. Since last year the center has been training 16 car mechanics annually.
- China is not only the most important sales market for the S-Class, but is well on its way to becoming the biggest automotive market in the world. To ensure that our vehicles’ service and maintenance intervals are adhered to, we need highly skilled workers at our Chinese sales and service outlets. The training of automotive mechatronics experts is therefore gaining in importance. Besides the three existing training centers in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, we are therefore planning to establish training centers in eight other cities.
Green technologies are setting the trend in training and further qualification
Green technologies are shaping advances in the automotive industry today. Daimler plans to actively participate in the transition to more environmentally friendly vehicles and to spearhead technological developments in this sector. This can only be done if we thoroughly prepare our employees for the new challenges..
Safeguarding green technology expertise is therefore our top priority. In order to create practical solutions, we analyze the consequences the development of green mobility will have and we use these studies to define the expertise our employees will need to obtain. As a result, we now plan to provide suitable training to around 32,000 employees in Germany and to a further 21,000 staff members around the globe between 2010 and 2013. Activities here focus on development specialists, trainees, and students at the Cooperative State University.
We make extensive resources available for training and qualification programs that provide our research and development staff with a high level of green technology expertise. In 2010 we successfully launched an expansion of our green technology research and development expertise by staging more than 40 events that attracted over 3,000 participants.
Training conditions vary greatly throughout the Group. In plants such as our facility in Sindelfingen, which builds the S 400 Hybrid, extensive expertise is already the norm in assembly operations that employ many highly skilled technicians. However, at other locations the transformation is only just beginning. This is why we have developed pragmatic, customized solutions to accelerate the process of acquiring green technology expertise.
For example, trainees can now supplement their normal qualifications with a program for “High-Voltage Systems in Automobiles.” This is made possible by a standardized concept that was integrated into the Daimler Training System (DTS). We continue to refine this “professional training mix” at our various locations. In this context, the share of trainee positions in electrical and electrical-mechanical professions increased to almost 50 percent in 2010.
We also introduced a new flexible green-technology qualification concept within the framework of the DTS in 2010. The concept provides trainees with the technical and safety knowledge required for the production of new Mercedes drive systems. We are also gradually expanding the technical programs of study offered by the Cooperative State University by adding new modules and content — particularly in relation to alternative drive systems and vehicle electrification.
