SEAT Executive Vice-President for Human Resources Josef Schelchshorn put forward the challenges in training and young people’s access to the labour market in upcoming years at the third edition of the “Encuentros SEAT” which was held today in Madrid. During the session, under the heading “Generating talent for industry 4.0”, Schelchshorn indicated that “we are convinced that the Dual Vocational Training model, which we designed and is very similar to the German dual training system, is the appropriate model”.

Schelchshorn emphasised that according to data from 2014, “there are many qualified people in Spain: 31% have higher or university education, while the European average is 28%. On the other hand, only 23% have medium level qualifications, which is half the European Union average of 46%, and the percentage of low-skilled people is substantially higher, at 44% compared to 27%”. This is one of the reasons behind the popularity of the Dual Vocational Training offered by SEAT.

To date, nearly 1,000 applications have been received for 75 openings from highly skilled young people who are interested in joining the new course that is scheduled to begin in September at the Apprentices School. The company’s Dual VT programme features three years of training with a total of 4,625 teaching hours. The theory content of the course is based on Middle Grade training and has been extended by 625 hours. For the company it is essential that the students gain practical experience during their training, and as a result they dedicate 2,300 hours to accomplishing this during their study programme.

30 engineers for the StartUp Europe programme

The Executive Vice-President for Human Resources also announced that SEAT has launched a selection process with the aim of hiring 30 recent engineering graduates to participate in the StartUp Europe programme. The chosen candidates will receive training and can develop their professional activity in Volkswagen and Audi work centres in Germany for a two-year period. Aspiring candidates must have graduated within the last two years with a specialist university degree in advanced engineering, speak German fluently and be available to settle in Germany. In total, 84 engineers have been involved in this programme in previous editions.

SEAT is also moving forward with the selection process of 100 new engineers for the Technical Centre. The company is looking for qualified young people who are proficient in English and German. Schelchshorn reported that 3,500 applications have been received to cover the openings that more than fulfil the necessary requirements.

SEAT Executive Committee President Jürgen Stackmann said that “SEAT is strongly committed to creating new jobs and training. The company is seeking to attract talent through different programmes, which is one of the reasons behind our becoming a ‘Top Employers’ company, and I am certain we will continue to be one of the country’s best employers in the future”.

Also present at the round table was Marcos Peña, president of the Spanish Economic and Social Council, who emphasised the role of education as a driving force of industry.