Rolls-Royce welcomes 115 new apprentices on board

• 84 apprentices and sandwich course students to join the company in Friedrichshafen
• Training for IT specialists and computer science students started for the first time
• Event on the lake to celebrate 100 years of mtu training

115 apprentices and sandwich course students will start their training with the Power Systems business unit of Rolls-Royce this autumn, 84 of them at the company’s Friedrichshafen location. In addition to the very popular training programmes enabling apprentices to qualify as industrial mechanics or mechatronics technicians, this year sees the first apprentices and students entering the company to start on their professional careers as future computer scientists.

“We’re looking forward to helping these young adults get off to a good start in their careers,” says Martin Stocker, Head of Training, and adds: “In future, we intend to train the qualified specialists we need in the company ourselves. An important field for us, for example, is computer science, and we have therefore included this subject in our range of training programmes. After all, a million euros have been invested in training and a new training workshop has been added, which we will be officially opening this year.”

Centenary celebration for apprentices

Rolls-Royce is celebrating 100 years of mtu training in Friedrichshafen this year. The opening event to mark the start of this centenary year was held earlier in April and was organised by the apprentices themselves. Now it was their turn to celebrate with a surprise party on board the ‘MS Vorarlberg’ – powered by two mtu Series 2000 engines – on Lake Constance.

No less than 230 former and new apprentices, instructors and invited guests sailed off together into the start of the next 100 years of training. “This surprise event is an expression of thanks to the young people who worked mainly behind the scenes at previous events and this time take centre stage,” said Deputy Chairman of the Works Council, Achim Zinser, paying tribute to the highly motivated apprentices.

“The celebration is a great opportunity to literally take the new apprentices on board and to develop the kind of team spirit we need right from the word go,” said Patrick Müller, HR Director for Power Systems EMEA.

International training

At three other German locations of the Power Systems business unit – Magdeburg, Augsburg and Ruhstorf – there are twelve apprentices about to start their careers. But training is also very important internationally. In Bergen (Norway), for example, thirteen young people have taken up training or are beginning their studies, and at locations in the USA, there are six.

In total, Rolls-Royce provides training in thirteen industrial and commercial professions, and offers five sandwich courses. With at least one apprentice in each field, we have in this centenary year what is perhaps the most diverse group of young people at the start of their careers ever.