Approximately 830 young people started their apprenticeships or dual courses of study at Audi in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm. The company trains its own next generation of employees to a high standard. This way it ensures the long-term competitiveness of its sites in Germany. The focus is increasingly on electric mobility and digitalization.
All future automotive mechatronic technicians learn how to handle high-voltage technology and networked systems in the car. And this happens right from the training stage. The job requires special knowledge. That includes protective measures for high-voltage technology as well as an understanding of the most varied driver assistance systems. The analysis of data protocols is really important as well. The first IT specialists in the field of systems integration also gained their qualifications at Audi in the summer of 2018. An additional qualification as an electrician is part of the course, because they do not work on PCs, but together with the mechatronic technicians in the digitalized environment of automotive production. IT knowledge and the handling of highly automated production systems form the basis for this.
The dual courses of study also feature a growing electric content
In this training year, the dual course of study in mechatronics in cooperation with the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) starts with the subject of electric mobility. The students undergo the practical part of their studies at the Audi plant in Neckarsulm, which is the main centre for the development of fuel cells within the Volkswagen Group. After successfully completing their course, most of the graduates will work in that field in Neckarsulm. A new course of study offered by the DHBW program is electrical engineering specializing in energy and the environment. Participants in this dual course of study are preparing for an assignment in the field of energy supply at the Neckarsulm plant.
“The automobile industry is radically changing; new technologies require new competences. That’s why we are already training young people specifically for our strategic fields of the future,” said Dieter Omert, Head of Vocational Training and Professional Competence Development at AUDI AG. “Rapid developments in areas such as electric mobility and digitalization mean also that young people have not finished their training or studies at the end of their courses. That’s why we also support them in continuously improving their qualifications.”
Approximately 540 apprentices and dual students are starting their courses at the plant in Ingolstadt this year. Meanwhile, there are approximately 290 in Neckarsulm. About 30 per cent of them are female. Audi will offer all of them a permanent position after the successful completion of their apprenticeships and studies.
The application period for the 2019 training year in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm runs until September 16. More information on apprenticeships and dual courses of study at Audi is available at www.audi.de/schueler.
