SEAT dual VT acclaim from German Chamber of Commerce

The award was handed by Secretary of State for Employment Engracia Hidalgo to SEAT Vice-President for Human Resources Josef Schelchshorn. The German Chamber of Commerce for Spain rewarded the project for the implementation of dual vocational training at SEAT with the Excellence Award 2014. The jury, comprising German ambassador in Spain Reinhard Silberberg as well as representatives from different corporations and business schools, made a positive assessment of SEAT’s commitment to dual vocational training, highlighting the fact that, together with innovation, vocational training is key to ensuring and improving the international competitiveness of the Spanish economy.

The award was handed in Madrid by Secretary of State for Employment Engracia Hidalgo to SEAT Vice-President for Human Resources Josef Schelchshorn. The event was also attended by Director General for Vocational Training at the Spanish Ministry of Education Ángel de Miguel, and Director of the Public Service for State Employment María de los Reyes Zatarain del Valle.

Secretary of State for Employment Engracia Hidalgo pointed out that “since the implementation of labour market reform, in Spain more than 203,000 training and apprenticeship contracts have been concluded, meaning that a large number of young people have access to vocational training, combining theory with hands-on practical experience in the real context of a working company”.

President of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain José Luis López-Schümmer said, “We are currently witnessing a very encouraging development, in which dual vocational training, the key to Germany’s economic competitiveness, is being implemented with increasing dynamism in Spain. The German Chamber of Commerce strongly supports this process”.

SEAT Vice-President for Human Resources Josef Schelchshorn thanked jury members for the award and declared, “Over the past two years we have boosted training offered to young students, who learn a trade from as soon as they join the Apprentices School. Dual vocational training shows SEAT’s commitment to employment, and makes us more competitive”.

SEAT has offered its vocational training scheme since the 2012-2103 academic year, and is a pioneering company in the implementation of this system in Spain. Based on the German model, it combines theoretical and practical training at its own Apprentices School with on-the-job experience at the company’s production facilities. The syllabus comprises 4,625 hours spread over three years, with students signing a labour contract for training and apprenticeship which enables them to make contributions to Social Security as well as being provided with monthly remuneration based on the practical work done in the company.

More than 900 applications for 60 places    
For the forthcoming 2014-2015 academic year, beginning in September, SEAT has received a total number of 912 applications. Over the course of this month the company will select the 60 apprentices who will be able to follow the first of the two training cycles on offer – Machining and Electromechanical Maintenance of Installations. Each module will have 30 students.

The Apprentices School, a benchmark in Spain
SEAT’s Apprentices School is a public-access privately-owned vocational training centre of excellence, all running costs being met by the company. Those students who successfully complete the three-year course also have the possibility to join the workforce on an open-ended contract.

The technical level of both facilities and trainers, together with the practical training itself, account for the school’s success. Since it was officially opened in 1957 it has trained more than 2,500 young people. For the 2013-2014 academic year the school has an intake of 167 young students who are studying and working to be training in one of the five technical professions offered by SEAT – vehicle electrical mechanic, electrical mechanic, die mechanic, automotive electronics mechanic, and industrial mechanic.