Bosch is seeking roughly 1,400 apprentices and dual-education students across Germany for 2017. With this number, the availability of openings for occupational training programs matches the high levels seen in previous years. Applicants have a choice of more than 30 different professions they can apply for online. Bosch is primarily seeking apprentices in the areas of mechatronics engineering, industrial mechanics and electrical engineering for automation technology. Applications are already being accepted.
Connected manufacturing is placing new demands on associates. For instance, associates need broader knowledge of manufacturing workflows due to the interconnected nature of processes. Bosch says it is already taking that into consideration in its training programs.
“For connected manufacturing, we need highly qualified technicians in addition to university graduates. Industry 4.0 calls for Occupational Training 4.0, and that’s exactly what we offer our apprentices,” said Christoph Kübel, member of the board of management and director of industrial relations at Robert Bosch GmbH.
In Industry 4.0, machines and products are interconnected and continuously exchange data. Technicians also are increasingly working on interdisciplinary projects that involve multiple areas of specialization.
“Right from the start, we give our apprentices more autonomy and project responsibility. In multiple practical assignments, they familiarize themselves with manufacturing workflows and engage in cross-functional collaboration with other specialist units,” said Siegfried Czock, the head of occupational and continuing professional development in Germany. “At the end of their training, apprentices are able to shape digital connectivity. And they enhance their communication skills in the process. Both are key capabilities in a connected world.”
In addition, roughly one in five apprentices in technical and industrial disciplines spends several weeks of their apprenticeship on a work assignment abroad. In the “junior company” training module, apprentices take command and are responsible for handling jobs at a plant.
“The large amount of hands-on experience offered by the training program and the various different projects on which we get to work make Industry 4.0 a very tangible concept for us,” said Laura Kästner, a second-year apprentice specializing in electrical engineering for automation technology in Homburg. “We are being well prepared for the connected future.”
Czock added, “Our trainers on site, together with the specialist departments, continuously determine what skills are needed and adjust the training content and teaching methods as necessary.”
The connected industry also poses new challenges for trainers and teaching institutes when it comes to imparting the necessary skills. Bosch Rexroth’s Drive & Control Academy supports internal and external trainers as well as institutes of higher education with courses, training systems and advanced media on the topic of Industry 4.0.
One in four apprenticeships offered at Bosch is part of a university degree program. Aside from programs that follow the traditional dual-education model, the company also offers cooperative programs that combine a university degree with an apprenticeship, such as an applied computer science degree combined with an apprenticeship as a certified IT system integration technician.
Today, women make up just under one-sixth of all apprentices in technical and industrial disciplines. But Bosch hopes to get even more young women interested in technical careers by partnering with schools and for initiatives such as Girls’ Day or Technology Experience Days.
This year, the international supplier of technology and services is offering roughly 400 additional internships for refugees at about 30 occupational training departments. The aim is to prepare them for the labor market or an apprenticeship.
Openings for apprentices and university students at Bosch for 2017 are posted on an online platform, on which anybody interested can apply. For more information on occupational training and educational opportunities at Bosch, visit bosch.de/ausbildung.
