Der Maschinenhersteller Krones gewann mit seiner Lehrlingsausbildung den "More than a Market"-Preis in der Kategorie Kleinunternehmen. Den Preis verleihen die Stiftung Bertelsmann, das Deutsche Generalkonsulat in Shanghai und die German Chamber of Commerce Shanghai an Unternehmen, Projekte und Initiativen, die sich weit über ihre wirtschaftlichen Interessen hinaus für soziale Belange in China engagieren.
German Chamber of Commerce in China | Shanghai Gives Out first More than a Market Awards in Four Categories
German companies Krones, Merck, Bayer and the Handicapped Workshop
Taicang received an award for their outstanding efforts in social
engagement
On 25th May 2016, for the first time, the German
Chamber of Commerce in China | Shanghai, together with Bertelsmann Stiftung and
supported by the German Consulate General Shanghai awarded the More than a
Market-Award to four German companies to honor their outstanding social
engagement in Chinese society.
Between October 2015 and 5th February
2016, German companies and organizations with operations in East China (for
example the area of responsibility of the German Chamber in Shanghai) were
invited to submit their applications. A Chinese-German jury carefully evaluated
all 39 submitted projects and selected the winners for this year based on
criteria such as relevance, creativity, transferability and
sustainability.
Among the 15 short-listed finalists, the following
companies received an award at the More than a Market Award Gala.
Small Enterprises (50-500 employees in China)
In the category "Small Enterprises (50-500 employees in China)", Krones
Machinery (Taicang) Co., Ltd. was chosen
for its ongoing Apprentice Training Program.
Krones has built an
apprenticeship program that offers majors in the areas of mechatronics and
cutting. The company aims to foster a tradition of vocational training in China
as a way to guarantee the production of qualified work as well as to further
increase employees' loyalty to their company by empowering them and creating a
culture of trust.
Almost 40 new employees and several interns have been
hired since the start of the program in Wuhan. And now that vocational training
has begun in Changzhou and Suzhou, many more will be hired in the future.
Medium Enterprises (500-10,000 employees)
In the category "Medium Enterprises (500-10,000 employees)", the exemplary
engagement of Merck China for its School Water Project was recognized.
This project started in 2012 with the goal of providing children in selected
primary schools in Shanghai with safe drinking water and raising their awareness
of environmental protection measures. The schools are partially attended by
children whose parents are migrant workers. Part of the project is donating
drinking water purification facilities and maintaining the facilities at an
ongoing basis.
To achieve long-term impact, Merck employees voluntarily
visit children at the school and teach them about environmental issues as part
of the Merck Green Class program. In addition to ensuring clean drinking water
for around 5,500 students and their teachers in six primary schools, the project
made it possible for 100 volunteers to educate some 480 students on
environmental and sustainability issues within one year.
Large enterprises (more than 10,000 employees)
In the category "Large enterprises (more than 10,000 employees)", Bayer
(China) Ltd. received the award for its Bayer China
Volunteer Association (BCVA).
BCVA offers a platform that allows
employees to initiate their own projects. The employees themselves can decide
which issues they will focus on in Chinese society.
Moreover, Bayer's
employees have the possibility to use their own expertise and skills to optimize
the volunteering services.
In addition, BCVA has become a credible
partner for local NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations), which respect it for
its sustainable input.
By the end of November 2015, almost 5,000
employee volunteers had registered to participate in projects focusing on
education, environment, poverty alleviation, public health, and community
outreach.
Collaborative Projects
Finally, in the category for "Collaborative Projects", which applies to
projects initiated by two or more German companies, Taicang Sino-German
Handicapped Technology Co. Ltd. was
selected.
In the project Inclusion Factory Taicang more than 80
partners joined forces to establish a workshop, which is the first institution
in China to give meaningful employment to mentally challenged individuals under
real market conditions.
Productive and dignified work enables them to
realize their aspirations, improve their living conditions and participate more
actively in society. By currently employing 14 people with disabilities, the
workshop is raising awareness of the capabilities of mentally handicapped
individuals in China. The project has become a role model for social inclusion
in China.
"Today we celebrate a milestone that showcases the impressive
and far-reaching social engagement of German companies in Chinese society" says
Simone Pohl, Executive Director and Member of the Board of the German Chamber of
Commerce in China | Shanghai. "I congratulate all participating companies on
their creativity, passion for and commitment to making China More than a Market
for German companies".