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Working for Miele |
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The success of a company is largely dependent upon its staff. Thus, one of Miele‘s key principles is to discover talent, to encourage it to grow and to challenge it, and finally, to make this talent a part of the company over the long-term
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Professional Apprenticeships: A Solid Foundation
Miele provides a systematic and wideranging occupational basis for its trainees. There are currently 29 different roles available, and this number is likely to grow. In 2007, 457 trainee positions were occupied. All 264 youngsters, who completed their training during the period under review, went on to gain full employment in the company. In addition to the training programmes, apprentices have the option of gaining further education and further distinguishing themselves. There are, for example, additional study groups (Factory Management, Trainee Newspaper, Supervision of School Work Placements). One of Miele’s unique ventures is the vacuum cleaner shop in Gütersloh, which is completely run by trainees on their own initiative. A Dual Degree: Combining Training and Studying Since 1995, Miele has offered dual degrees in both sales and technical fi elds. Here students can gain a trainee qualifi cation alongside their studies. The courses combine practical training in Miele factories with theory-based studies at a university. With the dual degree, highly motivated and above-average youngsters can give themselves the ideal basis for a successful career. The Entry Programme: From Studying to Working in One Step
new management since 1989. Since then, over 100 trainees have graduated from the entry programme with a diploma or a Master degree. A new Miele position was created at the end of 2007: “Technical Assistance to the Factory Management“. As a staff function, it is directly attached to the factory management. These employees support and take some of the burden off the manager of the factory with regards their operative and strategic tasks. Candidates for this position must have graduated with a technical degree. The contents of the trainee program are structured as follows: On-the-job measures:
Individually tailored and flexible assignment plan, assignments last 1–8 weeks and include a foreign assignment for every trainee. Every graduate is thus provided with the opportunity to get to know a wide range of company departments both at home and abroad. An in-depth insight is given into the workings of the whole company, while market conditions, corporate structure and interdisciplinary contexts form the subject matter to be learnt. Off-the-job measures: Qualification measures on the topics of communication, presentation and visualisation, work methodology and time management; lectures within the group, plant tours, three appraisals with Personnel Development. Project work: Working on a project task relevant to Miele's operation in the group. |
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Welcome@Miele
Welcome@Miele is the umbrella term for all measures taken to introduce new employees to the company. The idea of the program is to offer special support for new employees and to help achieve successful integration of existing personnel in new areas of responsibility. The program includes the following:
The responsibility for the training and induction period for new employees and instructions to employees taking up new positions lies with the respective managers. Attentive support from managers is necessary in order to successfully integrate employees into a new area of responsibility. Managers decide on type, extent, procedure and content of the induction Encouraging Women to Try Technical Careers
22.8 % of Miele’s workforce in Germany is female and these female employees work largely in business-related careers. Only 7% of those training in the technical courses are women, in comparison with 60 % of the business-related courses. The percentage of women in management positions is 8 %. Here, Miele recognises both a need for action and a chance to find qualified personnel. It is for this reason that the company takes part in a number of schemes, including ”Girls’ Day“, with the aim of encouraging female pupils to consider a career in a technical occupation. In 2007, 20 female pupils visited Miele as part of this region-wide day for action. In September 2007, Miele supported the 13th “Women in Engineering” National Congress in Bielefeld. This led to the development of a regular meeting of female engineers, designed to provide a place for them to exchange their experiences and information. Furthermore, Miele is involved in the PePon (Using Personal Potential) mentoring programme. 16 companies from the East Westphalia-Lippe region took part in the pilot project in 2006/2007, with the aim of encouraging women to take on management roles and to develop their skills in this field
Companies believe there is large potential in women acquiring specific skills. The diversity of mixed-sex management teams can be a clear competitive advantage that companies want to utilize. The project should also promote the setup of networks and establish a joint communication platform.
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Challenges and Targets
Trainee engineers are in great demand, in general and at Miele. A two-year graduate programme is going to be introduced in 2008/2009. It focuses on graduates from technical courses with a Bachelor degree. Miele is also planning on maintaining the quantitative and qualitative level of trainee positions and dual degrees. The number of employees should remain in line with the company’s growth strategy. Moreover, Miele will continue to support projects like PePon, to encourage women to try their hand at technical careers and to take on leadership roles. Bachelor programme: This programme is aimed at bachelor graduates in the fields of mechanical or electrical engineering, preferably specialising in production/process engineering, design, quality management, automation technology or electronics. Participants will be deployed in Miele plants and actively work in the technical departments either in the day-to-day business or on concrete projects. Further to this, they will be trained in multidisciplinary skills. This involves topics from business administration, communication skills and work methodology.  |
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