Conti prepares German employees for industry's future

HANOVER, Germany—Continental A.G. is employing a comprehensive training program in Germany for employees as part of the "Continental in Motion" program.

More than 30,000 Continental employees are expected to be affected by the global restructuring plan—through layoffs or shifts to other plants or otherwise—approved Sept. 30 by the Supervisory Board of Continental.

The learning program comprises three main elements: the recently founded Continental Institute of Technology and Transformation, a corporate-wide training process and the expansion of the company's internal job market.

With CITT, Continental will offer customized training for employees, initially addressing semi-skilled and unskilled workers in Germany at the Hamburg-Harburg hub. Conti said other hubs will be established in Germany in the near future.

"As social partners at Continental, Continental in Motion will see us take on responsibility with a view to the future," said Ariane Reinhart, Continental's executive board member for human relations. "We will actively shape the transformation rather than simply let it happen."

Training with qualifications will be offered in Industry 4.0, digitalization, plastics and rubber technology, additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies and new drive concepts.

"Continental's Hamburg site is making a targeted contribution toward addressing the structural change in the industry, supporting its employees in mastering digitalization and helping provide tomorrow's skilled employees," Conti said Sept. 30.

The training is separated into modules, each lasting four to six months. The structure is intended to offer worker flexibility for individual needs and family circumstances.

This provision makes it possible to gain qualification as a process technician in 24 months rather than the standard three-year term of an apprenticeship. The training takes place during working hours at full basic salary and is supported by the Federal Employment Agency under Germany's Skills Development Opportunities Act. More than 500 Conti workers from across Germany are expected to attend the CITT training.

"As a result, the colleagues will also extend the range of operations they can perform at the site and improve their prospects in the labor market," said Tobias Heilmann, head of HR at the Hamburg-Harburg hub.

The first 17 employees have completed the foundation module in Hamburg with positive results, and the group moved on to the second module in August. "That is a remarkable achievement. After all, most of them left school many years ago," Heilmann said.

In September, a second group also began the CITT qualification program.