Volkswagen Group honours its best apprentices from all over the world including Saurabh Sajji from India

The Volkswagen Group yesterday presented its 'Best Apprentice Awards 2016' to its best apprentices from all over the world, honoring their outstanding performance and professional competence.

The prizes for the 45 young talents with 16 vocations were presented by the Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Matthias Müller, the Member of the Board of Management responsible for Human Resources, Organization and IT, Dr. Karlheinz Blessing, and the President of the Global Group Works Council, Bernd Osterloh.

The nine young women and 36 young men were honored at a ceremony held at the CongressPark in Wolfsburg following a joint meeting of the Group Board of Management and the Global Group Works Council. Saurabh Sajji from Volkswagen India bagged the ‘Best Apprentice Award’ in the Mechatronics trade.   

"The automotive industry is more exciting for young people than ever before," said Müller at the presentation ceremony. "Like the entire industry, our company faces major changes: autonomous driving, e-mobility, innovative mobility concepts, digitalisation and connectivity will mean that we will need to update our knowledge and skills at an increasingly rapid pace." Müller congratulated the award winners and said: "I am proud of you. Please remain inquisitive and open to new developments and discover your opportunities in the changes that will take place."

"First-class vocational training is more important than ever before," Blessing said. "Within the Volkswagen Group, apprentices learn how to work with new technologies and to link them with each other right from the start. Digitalisation and connectivity will also transform the vocations in which our award-winners are among the best." Blessing told the recently qualified young professionals selected for the awards: "With your training, you have laid the foundation for your professional success. Take advantage of our training opportunities or get to know our Group even better during a year abroad."

Osterloh said: "Well-trained young women and men are the future of the Volkswagen Group. This is why all the money spent on vocational and advanced training is well-invested. With our dual vocational training which has been successfully implemented throughout the world, we have laid the foundation for the good development of our company and assumed social responsibility at our locations. The 45 apprentices we are honoring here today bear witness to the success of our approach."

20 of the award winners had already been honored in their home countries for their commitment to their companies and for their knowledge and skills in their training vocations. Almost half of the Best Apprentice Award winners will be starting a degree course to develop their knowledge and skills in greater depth. A further seven young people will be receiving two years of individual support in their professional family within the ‘talent group for young specialists‘. Five young people will be taking part in the Wanderjahre (years abroad) program. They will be working for a year at a Group location in another country.

Volkswagen India’s Mechatronics Apprenticeship Programme

Volkswagen India started the Mechatronics Apprenticeship Programme at its Academy in the Pune Plant in 2011 as part of the Group’s global effort to build industry ready talent to bridge growing skill shortage the world over. The past six years have seen the Mechatronics Apprenticeship Programme in India produce world class talent by providing hands-on experience while also helping apprentices develop interpersonal skills.

L-R: Matthias Müller, Group CEO Volkswagen Group, Damian Stolarczuk (20), Mechatroncis technician (Sitech, Polkowice, Poland), Dr. Karlheinz Blessing, member of the Group Board of Management, responsible for Human Resources, Organization and IT, Saurabh Sajji (21), Mechatroncis technician (Volkswagen India, Pune, India), and Bernd Osterloh, President of the Global Group Works Council.
 

Volkswagen India’s Saurabh Sajji (pictured above, second from left) is among the nine young women and 36 young winners. Hailing from Pune, Saurabh comes from a modest background and his interest for the automobile industry is what led him to enrol into the programme. On receiving the top honour, he said, “I am humbled at being recognised on this platform and can’t help feeling a great sense of gratitude towards my trainers at the Volkswagen Academy. Each one of them has guided and helped me immensely to hone my interest and knowledge of the mechatronics trade and made me capable enough to achieve this honour.”  

The Mechatronics Apprenticeship Programme is based on German Dual System of Vocational Education and Training. The partnership of Volkswagen Group India with Indian vocational education and training authorities is a milestone on the path towards modernisation, practical relevance and flexibility of vocational education and training. This programme provides employability in the areas of Production, Maintenance, Planning, Quality Assurance and Research & Development. The Mechatronics Programme also helps the apprentices with key competencies which are necessary to adapt to the fast changing industrial requirements. 

Dr Andreas Lauermann, president and managing director, Volkswagen India commended the honour bestowed on Saurabh saying, “The Mechatronics programme in India follows the guidelines from Germany to maintain global standards, and it is with great pride that I say that since inception we have always had award winners from India. I’m positive that this recognition received by Saurabh will help him scale new heights as he ventures into working with new technologies that can benefit the Volkswagen Group moving forward.” 

This year's Best Apprentice Award was the 16^th of its kind presented by the Volkswagen Group and a total of 431 apprentices have been honored since 2001. The group is currently training about 19,500 young women and men in about 60 vocations and 50 dual courses of study.