More than 1,500 apprentices and participants in work-study programmes in Germany started their careers at
Siemens on 1 September; and despite the scarcity of applicants in the country’s apprenticeship market, this number has significantly increased compared to the previous year (2022: 1,300, equating to a 15% increase).
For a while now, there has been an imbalance between supply and demand regarding Germany’s apprenticeship market, with more than 220,000 training positions reported as vacant at the start of August but only around 117,000 of the country’s young people currently looking for an apprenticeship.
Judith Wiese, Siemens AG’s chief people and sustainability officer and labour director, said: “I am very pleased that, despite the difficult situation on the market for labour and skilled personnel, we have managed to significantly increase the number of apprentices and work-study programme participants in Germany. We can only meet the challenges of the accelerated digital and green transformation with qualified and committed junior colleagues who choose to work in the technical occupations needed to drive this transformation.
“Very early in the decision-making process, young people need guidance and concrete support in choosing the focus of their training, which is why we cooperate with schools with the aim of generating enthusiasm for the STEM subjects: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We also aim to convey the great importance of technical occupations in a professional and positive manner.”
Thanks to its global activities and an annual investment of around 170 million euros in training and a further 205 million euros in continuing education measures for people employed at the company (fiscal 2022), Siemens is one of the largest private training companies worldwide. This year’s apprenticeships in Germany are distributed across 18 training centres; they include 900 positions at Siemens AG, 200 apprenticeships at Siemens Mobility, and 180 at Siemens Healthineers. Furthermore, and as part of joint training programmes, Siemens Professional Education is training more than 250 young people for the company’s external partners.
Thomas Leubner, head of Siemens Professional Education, concluded: “From involvement in STEM initiatives for schools to continuing education programmes for people working at Siemens, we tailor our educational offerings to the requirements of technological change and the digital work world. With a 95% share, occupations in technology in general, and especially in information technology (IT), are the main focus of the apprenticeships and work-study programmes that we offer. In particular, there has been an increase in IT-related occupations — and more than half the apprentices within Siemens are participating in work-study programmes.”