Encourage lifelong learning and development
One of our greatest strengths is our outstanding workforce. Our employees’ expertise, skills and dedication have made Siemens the Company it is today. Building on this foundation, we’re aiming to grow even further. And one means to achieving this strategic end quickly and effectively is continuous learning, which not only enhances our people’s knowhow but also directly fosters their pioneering spirit, initiative and willingness to assume increasing responsibility.
In fiscal 2011, we invested roughly €251 million, or about €608 per employee, in our employees’ training and continuing education. All around the world, we give our people at all levels the chance to fully develop their potential.
This begins with our young new employees, whom we prepare for their tasks in the global competitive arena with training programs worldwide. In Germany, we’re one of the largest private providers of vocational training programs and professional training within the country’s work-study system. Further information on our training and education programs is available at www.siemens.com/career.
We’ve also developed international programs that are helping our regional units in many countries train their own employees and recruit new hires. For example, our International Employee Development Program (IEDP) provides new employees at our Regional Companies in Brazil, China, India, Italy, Mexico, the Czech Republic and the U.S. with training geared specifically to the responsibilities they’ll assume when they return home. The Siemens Mechatronic System Certification Program (SMSCP) integrates modules from our training system in Germany into existing programs at colleges and universities elsewhere – acquainting students from around the world with Siemens products and technologies early on.
As part of our education offerings, uniform Core Learning Programs worldwide give our employees the key qualifications they need to excel at their responsibilities. The focus here is on practical experience. Developed by our international teams of experts, the programs are geared to the challenges of everyday business operations; after all, the knowledge gained is to be applied directly in practice. To complement existing learning programs in areas such as project management and software development, we rolled out new programs in fiscal 2011 tailored to various organizational functions – from supply chain management and corporate human resources to sales management.
As we see it, one key prerequisite for long-term business success is always having the right people at the right place at the right time – because the more closely employees are matched with their responsibilities, the greater their satisfaction and commitment will be. The Siemens Leadership Framework (SLF) supports us in making personnel decisions. This process enables us to systematically define all requirements for open positions and compare them with employee profiles that have been compiled in accordance with international standards. In addition to professional expertise and management potential, we also evaluate the pioneering spirit and innovative strength of our employees.
People who want to make a difference are always welcome at Siemens – all around the world. The highly qualified engineers and managers who join us do so because they know we’ll give them every opportunity to develop their personal potential. In the competition for talented individuals, we maintain close contacts with the most renowned universities in our most important markets, attracting top graduates with offerings such as the Siemens Graduate Program. Many high achievers develop an enthusiasm for Siemens early on by doing internships at our organization and later become full-fledged employees. Once at Siemens, new recruits need to learn the ropes quickly. That’s where our web-based new@Siemens learning program comes in, giving more than 18,000 employees from over 80 countries a comprehensive, well-focused and informative introduction to the Company in 2011.