Mercedes-Benz to Invest More Than €1.3 Billion on its Employees

Mercedes-Benz has announced that it is going to invest over €1.3 billion in the qualifications of its employees. According to the German automaker, electrification and digitalization are fundamentally changing the world of work. The transformation will lead to further development of all job profiles at Mercedes-Benz.

Therefore the company is putting lifelong learning and continuing education for employees at the center of sustainable personnel development. In Germany alone, Mercedes-Benz will invest more than €1.3 billion in the qualification, training and continuing education of its employees by 2030.

Turn2Learn is an extensive push that raises qualification at the company to a new level. It combines three elements: a wide range of learning opportunities via e-learning platforms, customized learning paths and in addition the previously available continuing education programs. These elements offer employees tailor-made qualification opportunities in production and administration — in different combinations digitally and face-to-face.

According to Sabine Kohleisen, the Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Human Resources & Labor Director:

“For a fully electric and digital future as a luxury brand, we have generated a noticeable sense of new beginnings at Mercedes-Benz. Turn2Learn takes this up and puts the qualification for all employees at Mercedes-Benz on a new level. With Turn2Learn we create limitless opportunities for lifelong learning at Mercedes-Benz. Everyone can continue their education independent of time and place, and across all units and levels. As a company, we primarily rely on learning paths that enable us to forge ahead with digitalization and electrification. I am very pleased that Turn2Learn enables colleagues to educate themselves according to their personal interests in order to promote willingness for lifelong learning. In the transformation, lifelong learning is not a buzzword, but the condition for success — for the company and for each individual colleague.”

Digital e-learning platforms

Corporate management and the General Works Council have agreed to introduce an extensive range of further training and retraining via e-learning platforms for company and private use. In the future, this will offer employees an unprecedented variety of opportunities to learn independently and flexibly for their current job or future dream job. Free access to the entire range of platforms also gives employees the opportunity to pursue further training according to their personal interests. The company also bears the costs for the licenses here. The rollout will start gradually in the third quarter in administration and in first pilot areas of production.

Customized learning paths

From the very wide range of qualification options, employees will in future define customized learning paths as orientation for targeted and future-oriented professional training. When selecting the formats, the company enables employees to exercise as much self-determination as possible. Learning and education thus become a natural part of everyday working life. The learning paths are intended to accompany employees throughout their professional lives and will be continuously readjusted. This way, the company is also increasing the transparency of skills and abilities across teams and units.

Mercedes-Benz will place particular emphasis on qualifications that are crucial for the successful implementation of the company’s sustainable business strategy and digitalization. For example, specific, pre-configured learning paths, such as data scientist or data architect, are defined for the data workers. These learning paths can be individually supplemented and adapted. To ensure learning paths are as individualized as possible and learning platforms are used efficiently Artificial Intelligence will be used in the future.

Qualification in production

Employees in production are already receiving a wide range of continuing education on digitalization and electrification. Production plants are becoming more and more intelligent, are networked and collect large amounts of data. With newly acquired data and methodological skills, employees working, for example, as data specialists can analyze the systems much better and use them more efficiently and effectively. Challenges and any disruptions in the production process can thus be recognized even earlier in the future and interruptions can be avoided. For the ongoing transformation of job profiles in production, the company offers, for example, suitably tailored digital retraining with individual support and defined target positions.

For a fully electric future, Mercedes-Benz trains its employees in the field of electrics/electronics from basic to expert level. The qualifications are based on the specific tasks of the employees and vary in scope and content. For example, the basic requirement for employees to be allowed to move around in the high-voltage environment is high-voltage safety courses that only last a few hours. An additional basic training program as an electrician, which lasts several weeks, is necessary in order to work independently on the high-voltage system.

Turn2Learn is the logical continuation of the chosen qualification path

For the digital transformation, it is essential that all areas of the company invest in the development of digital skills. In total, Mercedes-Benz employees completed almost 1.3 million hours of professional and personal training last year in Germany alone. In 2021 there were around 75,000 participation in training courses on software, coding and IT at Mercedes-Benz Group AG worldwide. At Mercedes-Benz, around 80% of all training formats are already digital or hybrid. The additionally planned e-learning platforms can be used to cover learning needs more quickly and to better track learning success.

Source: Business Wire

UsmanAnsari

A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com