Audi Starts the 2008 Vocational Training Year

INGOLSTADT - September 12, 2008: Audi is welcoming 682 trainees this year. With 453 young people starting their career training today at Audi in Ingolstadt and 229 who started the training on September 5 at the Neckarsulm location, Audi is maintaining its high number of trainee positions through 2008.

Josef Schelchshorn, Head of Human Resources at Audi’s Ingolstadt location, greeted the new Audi employees in person: “You’ve achieved something you can be proud of. You have qualified for a training position at Audi out of a pool of around 3,100 applicants.” Schelchshorn emphasized that the young people should take advantage of this opportunity to establish the foundation for their careers. The AUDI AG will require well-trained and highly motivated employees in order to continue its success.

En route to becoming the most attractive employer, the company also relies on the commitment of its trainees. “With 682 trainee positions, we offer young people a wide range of career opportunities. Audi promotes the individual skills of young trainees early on in an exciting environment, with challenging tasks and responsibilities – and thus encourages them to help shape the company creatively,” said Dieter Omert, Head of the Training Department at Audi.

Audi has added more options to its training spectrum for 2008: this year is the first time that trainees can choose a dual training program in four new occupations that will allow them to acquire qualification for admission to a technical university. In past years this was already possible for trainees in tool engineering. The three-year training program to become an automobile mechatronics specialist, a mechatronics specialist and an electronics specialist for automation technology is combined with attending the University of Applied Sciences in Ingolstadt. The certificate of completion entitles graduates of the program to begin advanced technical studies at a University of Applied Sciences. The application deadline for the 2009 training year is September 30, 2008. Applications may be submitted online at www.audi.de/ausbildung.

Audi offers training programs in more than 20 career fields at both German locations. These include commercial, logistical and IT training, as well as training in the areas of production processes, automation technology and automotive technology. The majority of trainees are training to be production mechanics, automobile mechatronics specialists, tool engineering technicians and mechatronics specialists. The spectrum of training programs also ranges from technical product design and commercial clerk positions to medical assistant positions. The daily training periods at Audi are variable and are adapted to production schedules. This allows training to be ideally integrated into production workflows.

Jörg Schlagbauer, Employee Representative and Member of the Audi Works Council, emphatically stressed the special value of extensive career training at Audi. “Young people create a solid professional foundation for their future career path with their training,” Schlagbauer said. This is why it’s especially important to utilize the time during their traineeships to gather knowledge and experience, and to help shape the future of the company through personal commitment, ability and a desire to achieve. Following a successful graduation, all trainees can count on a secure job with a wide range of opportunities to develop with Audi.