Volkswagen honors best apprentices worldwide

Press release
Source: Volkswagen

Zwickau / Wolfsburg, - The Volkswagen Group today presented its “Best Apprentice Award” to young achievers from all over the world. The award for outstanding professional competence was presented to 22 apprentices from eleven countries on the occasion of a joint meeting of the Global Group Works Council and the Group Board of Management at the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau.

The awards were presented by the Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, the member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG responsible for Human Resources, Dr. Horst Neumann, and the President of the Volkswagen Group Global Works Council, Bernd Osterloh. Winterkorn praised the apprentices’ achievements and underscored: "Highly-qualified skilled employees are the foundation for our company’s success. That is why we train at all sites worldwide, creating perspectives for young people and simultaneously investing in the future of Volkswagen."

Neumann said: "Competition for the best talents is getting tougher. Vocational training and support is therefore one of our top priorities. We are continuing to improve the qualification and competence of our apprentices and are currently introducing trans-national standards for vocational training."

Osterloh commented: "At Volkswagen we are proud of our apprentices. The company offers many opportunities for further qualification. We urge all of these young people to make use of this wide choice." He added that the commitment of the award winners set a wonderful example.

The itinerary organized for the apprentices during their five-day stay in Germany included tours of the Volkswagen plants in Zwickau and Chemnitz plus the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden as well as a visit to the Horch Museum in Zwickau, a guided tour of Dresden’s Frauenkirche and a kart race. The award winners embark on a special program individually developed by the relevant Group companies once they have returned home. In this way, Volkswagen ensures that young people such as the mechanic from Brazil (Sao Bernado do Campo), the insurance clerk from Germany (Brunswick) and the automation technician from Slovakia (Bratislava) receive systematic further training.

The award winning apprentices are: Johannes Schneider (AUDI AG / Ingolstadt / Germany), Daniel Straßwiemer (AUDI AG / Neckarsulm / Germany), Boros Zsolt (AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft. / Györ / Hungary), João Ribas (AUTOEUROPA AUTOMÓVEIS LDA / Quinta do Anjo / Portugal), Craig Roberts (BENTLEY MOTORS LIMITED / Crewe / UK), David Cejudo Cobo (SEAT, S.A. / Martorell / Spain), Luboš Školník (ŠKODA AUTO a.s. / Mlada Boleslav / Czech Republic), Tim Klinge (Volkswagen AG / Brunswick / Germany), Julian Breedveld (Volkswagen AG / Emden / Germany), Manuel Sprenger (Volkswagen AG / Kassel / Germany), Christian Maiberg (Volkswagen AG / Salzgitter / Germany), Alexander Goes (Volkswagen AG / Wolfsburg / Germany), Yasmin Dambitis (Volkswagen AG / Wolfsburg / Germany), Marco Schröder (Volkswagen Financial Services / Brunswick / Germany), Teixeira Vieira Lilian (Volkswagen do Brasil Ltda / São Bernardo do Campo / Brazil), Eric Noé Bravo Morales (Volkswagen de México, S.A. de C.V. / Puebla / Mexico), Stefan Weber (Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles / Hanover / Germany), Lukasz Szydlowski (Volkswagen Poznan Sp. z.o.o. / Poznan / Poland) Sebastian Werner (Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH / Chemnitz / Germany), Nicole Bräutigam (Volkswagen Sachsen GmbH / Zwickau / Germany), Milan Bagin (Volkswagen Slovakia, a.s. / Bratislava / Slovakia), Keith Hamilton (Volkswagen of South Africa (Pty.) Ltd. / Uitenhage / South Africa).