BMW Group Korea (CEO Han Sang-yoon) held a combined graduation ceremony for the 21st class of the BMW Apprenticeship Program and the launch ceremony for the 22nd class, as well as the launch ceremony for the 9th class of BMW Ausbildung, at the Nest Hotel on Yeongjongdo Island in Incheon on Aug. 26.
The BMW Apprenticeship Program and Ausbildung are representative automobile specialized talent training programs of BMW Group Korea. The graduation and launch ceremony had a total of 210 attendees, including Deputy Minister Jeong Sang-cheon of BMW Group Korea's service division, service heads of seven dealer companies, graduates of the 21st class of apprentices, and selected candidates of the 22nd class and the 9th class of Ausbildung.
Deputy Minister Jeong Sang-cheon noted at the event, "As a global corporation with deep ties to Korean society, BMW is consistently nurturing talent that will lead innovation and the future in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) through top-level educational programs and practical experience. The talents produced from this program will play an important role in maintaining 'safety,' the cornerstone and unchanging value of the automotive industry, while providing trust and satisfaction to customers."
The BMW Apprenticeship Program, which started in 2004, is a representative industry-academic cooperation program supported by BMW Group Korea to systematically cultivate excellent automobile specialized technical personnel. It selects outstanding students from automotive departments at domestic universities, providing scholarships and specialized technical education to enable them to work at BMW official dealerships after graduation. Initially beginning with partnerships with eight universities, the number of partnered universities has now expanded to 36.
Ausbildung is a German-style dual vocational education program that combines work and learning, introduced by BMW Group Korea in 2017 as the first in the domestic automotive industry. It aims to provide quality educational environments and stable jobs for Korean youths dreaming of careers in the future automotive field. Participants enter into formal training employment contracts with BMW official dealerships during the period and are guaranteed stable salaries and working environments. After completing the program, they will receive an associate degree and a training certification awarded by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce, along with the opportunity to be formally employed by the companies where they trained, and they will also receive the BMW Junior Technician qualification.
As a result of industry-academic cooperation at BMW Group Korea, a total of 2,379 trainees, including 1,864 apprentices and 515 Ausbildung graduates, have been officially hired at seven BMW official dealerships.
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