Continental Wins Georgia Tech Prize

HANOVER/ATLANTA, March 23, 2009: Continental has once again been cited for its international university project “Global Engineering Excellence” [GEE]. The Georgia Institute of Technology has honored the ambitious project with its Work Abroad Employer of the Year Award in Atlanta (USA). Previously in the USA, the National Society for Experiential Education [NSEE] had also conferred a prize on GEE. With the integration of RWTH Aachen into the GEE network, Continental AG has been able to win over another world-renowned university for the initiative. The German university was added to the network at a meeting between representatives of Continental and the GEE partner universities in Vienna.

“Continental’s hard work and dedication to preparing tomorrow’s global leaders, by working hand-in-hand with academia, is what makes them a leader in their industry. I am proud to announce Continental AG as the Work Abroad Employer of the Year,” emphasized Debbie Gulick, director of the Work Abroad program in the Division of Professional Practice at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

“For us, the GEE study revealed the need to take action in science, the economy, and politics in internationalizing the engineering sciences. That our commitment has now received a second international prize shows us that we are on the right track,” said Stefan Kraft, head of Human Resources Development and Employer Branding & Recruiting at the Continental Corporation. In September 2008 he was already honored by the NSEE with the 2008 NSEE Corporate Leader of the Year Award for his outstanding commitment to intercultural work in the Global Engineering Internship Program (GEIP).

RWTH Aachen, which is one of the leading technical universities in Europe, is new to the group of GEE universities. Of its 31,431 students, more than 5,500 are foreign, hailing from 130 various countries. The special strength of RWTH is expressed in its combination of teaching and advanced research. RWTH looks back on a long history of close and far-reaching relationships to national and international industrial branches and research centers. “With the addition of RWTH Aachen, we are proud to welcome another world-renowned university to our network,” said Kraft.

In 2005 Continental was able to win over eight renowned universities for GEE to study the perspectives and social position of engineers as well as their education and impact on the performance capabilities of economies, and to draw conclusions from these findings. This gave rise to the GEE study, which showed that university curricula have to reflect developments in a globally networked economy. Continental AG took the first step to implement the study's recommendations last year. In the international technology corporation’s GEIP in 2008, 19 students from seven nations worked with top-notch Continental employees, as well as representatives of the GEIP universities, on internationally focused projects. GEIP will be further intensified in 2009.

With the Global Engineering Internship Program (GEIP) Continental started to implement recommendations of the GEE study. During this internship program, selected students can complete a paid internship and network with students from the other GEE partner universities. All students who are interested in the program can contact the International Office of the RWTH, in order to receive more information or to apply for it. In the first GEIP generation, 19 students of seven nationalities worked together in international projects. In 2009 the activities of the GEIP will be intensified.

With sales exceeding €24 billion in 2008, the Continental Corporation is one of the top automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, powertrain and chassis systems and components, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, the corporation contributes towards enhanced driving safety and protection of the global climate. Continental is also a competent partner in networked automobile communication. The corporation employs nearly 140,000 at approximately 190 locations in 35 countries.