Bosch is offering an additional 100 places on its technical vocational training schemes in Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain to young people from Southern Europe. The initiative, which will take effect from the 2014 training year, is a response to high rates of youth unemployment in Southern Europe. The 50 new training places in Germany will be filled by applicants from Spain, while an additional 50 young people outside Germany will follow the program at Bosch locations in Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The company has set aside some 7.5 million euros in funding for the initiative over the next four years. “Combating youth unemployment in Europe is a joint task for politicians, businesses, and society. All of us share responsibility for this, including Bosch. We want to play our part”, says Volkmar Denner, Chairman of the Board of Management at Robert Bosch GmbH. Christoph Kübel, Member of the Board of Management and Director of Industrial Relations at Bosch, also emphasizes the importance of people getting their working life off to a good start: “these early stages really set the course of people’s subsequent careers. Good training gives young people the chance to determine their own path”. The young people eligible for the scheme will be recruited by the Bosch regional companies. Since training capacities at Bosch locations outside Germany are limited, 50 young people from Spain will be trained at German locations. The successful applicants will also get an opportunity to take a language course in Spain as part of the preparations for starting their training in Germany at the end of summer 2014. This will be followed by a three months internship at Bosch in Germany. The young people will receive intercultural training and assistance throughout their stay in Germany thanks to a joint initiative between Bosch and the vocational training company BBQ, a subsidiary of the Education Institute of Baden-Württemberg Industry and Commerce (Bildungswerk der Baden-Württembergischen Wirtschaft e.V.).
