Associates and Young Talent

As working lives become longer, it is becoming increasingly important to make sure that the skills of associates are always up-to-date.

That’s why Bosch invests heavily in associate development. In 2007, we spent more than 225 million euros on training our associates worldwide. The attendance figures for training programs have risen significantly in recent years, reaching more than 384,000 in 2007. That is 40 percent higher than four years ago – and we shall continue to encourage this development.

High-quality training is essential for getting a career off to a good start. We regard the occupational training of young people as an integral part of our social responsibility, which is why for years we have been training more apprentices than we actually need. Worldwide, the company provides occupational training to some 6,000 young people.

Some 1,400 young people began apprenticeships at German locations in fall 2007, up by more than 5 percent on the already high figure of the previous year. We are particularly pleased with the share of female apprentices, which currently stands at 20 percent. Training is available for more than 40 different occupations. For a number of years now, for example, we have been offering young people the chance to work in junior companies, where they have the chance to prove themselves as entrepreneurs.

For a company to be successful, it must have the right number of associates with the right skills at the right time and in the right place. For this reason, we employ competence management throughout all our divisions, a program we started in 2006. This program focuses on developing the specialist skills required now, and especially in the future, to achieve our business goals. What is characteristic of the program is the systematic way in which it identifies and develops skills.

Systematic process
This intensive process, which will be performed annually, comprises six steps. In the preparation phase, meetings are held between the associate development departments and the managers of individual units to clarify what strategy and what objectives each unit is pursuing, and what this means in terms of the skills available in the unit. In the next phase, the units’ managers work with the associate development managers to derive the specialist skills that they will need in the future, given their unit’s strategy. These requirements are documented in detail, and standards are defined. In the third step, we meet with associates individually to analyze their skills.  Then, their existing skills are compared with future requirements, allowing us to decide on the activities necessary to build up the associates’ capabilities. For this purpose, conventional training options are available alongside methods of learning such as coaching and job rotation. Where necessary, we also define new activities and redefine old ones.

Finally, we use indicators to measure the success of the training activities. In this way, we systematically build up the skills that are decisive for our business success.

Robert Bosch GmbH and the daycare center for children in Stuttgart-Bergheim, Germany, were presented with the Education and Training 2007 initiative prize for their joint project “Early childhood education and care – new departures in education” by the Otto Wolff Foundation and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK).

The project, which was set up as part of the “Wissensfabrik – Unternehmen für Deutschland” (Knowledge Factory – Companies for Germany) initiative at the beginning of 2006, aims to bring technology to life for children and young people from an early age. Bosch apprentices plan, organize, and support their own projects at the daycare center. In one project, for example, the little inventors built wind turbines and generated electricity under the guidance of the Bosch apprentices. Both sides benefit from working as part of a team. The children are introduced to the practical side of science and technology at an early age, while the apprentices develop their social and creative skills.