Knowledge transfer: VW launches competition for education and training projects

Volkswagen wants to use the "Education Award" to promote lifelong learning and the exchange of expertise within the group.

Volkswagen has presented the "Education Award" for the first time. Using this award, which comes in four categories, the group is providing an incentive to start projects which will improve the transfer of knowledge between sites and brands and also improve the advanced education and training of employees.

The 'Education Award' of the Volkswagen Group Academy was presented in the four categories of knowledge transfer, qualification, vocational education and training, and continuing education and training. The red carpet was rolled out for the award winners. Karlheinz Blessing, Member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Human Resources and Organization, Bernd Osterloh, Chairman of the General and Group Works Councils of Volkswagen AG and Ralph Linde, head of the Volkswagen Group Academy presented the awards.

In the 'Knowledge transfer across sites' category, the jury gave first place to a project from the Volkswagen brand in Wolfsburg. It raises the awareness of employees and managers of the brand's 13 production sites around the world with regard to top quality priorities. The jury stressed that this had enabled measurable loss events to be virtually halved since 2009.

The award in the category 'Excellence in the analysis of education and training requirements' was presented to a project from Audi México San José Chiapa. Here, target group and competence analyses were prepared for the entire Aldi plant. These served as the basis for 470 qualification pathways with individual learning goals.

A project from MAN Truck & Bus in Salzgitter came first in the area of 'Innovative forms of learning in vocational education and training'. It provides all technical trainees with an understanding of the interrelationships along the value-added chain by requiring them to produce a remote-controlled MAN model truck in work steps they have planned themselves and using parts they have produced themselves.

In the category of 'Innovative forms of learning in continuing education and training', jury members were impressed most of all by a project from Audi Ingolstadt. The Audi remote servicing portal is used as a means of support for the development, retention and expansion of knowledge. This allows specialists from anywhere to provide practical support to plant personnel and to impart knowledge.

Ralph Linde, head of the Volkswagen Group Academy, emphasized that "with over 100 applications, the Education award shows the variety of innovative education and training ideas within the Group". "We learn from one another as a result of the group-wide knowledge transfer of these best practice examples and provide new impetus for the education and training work within the group."

Source: automobilwoche.de (German magazine on the automotive sector), revised by iMOVE, February 2017