San Luis Potosi, Mexico; August 30, 2017.- BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosí celebrates the graduation of the first generation of Dual Program apprentices and reaffirms the commitment to the academic development of the entity. The 24 professionals, Technicians in Mechatronics who graduated from the Technological University of San Luis Potosi, are already part of the workforce that will start up the most innovative production plant of the BMW Group network.
Two years after the implementation of the BMW Group's professional training model, the results of the program have expanded through strategic collaboration agreements with more educational institutions, including the Technological University, CEDVA and CONALEP. This has allowed to cover new courses, including Mechatronics, Automotive Mechanics and Industrial Productivity. Said collaborations have already borne fruits in a group of 170 apprentices from the three generations who completed the successful German program.
BMW Group aims to train professionals from early stage on in order to help them acquire the necessary foundations and immerse themselves in practice, combining the knowledge obtained in school with workshops that promote skills and experience in a real work environment. In this sense, the first generation presented as a final work a vehicle guided by autonomous driving – a result of research, implementation of knowledge and teamwork.
"The company's commitment to developing talent is a priority. We are proud to welcome the first generation of graduates, who are now employees of the BMW Group San Luis Potosi Plant,” said Hermann Bohrer, President and CEO of the BMW Group plant in San Luis Potosi. "Our goal is to make this production site a world benchmark for innovation and quality. In order to achieve this we need to have highly qualified professionals, because only through them we can produce in Mexico the most successful vehicle of the brand, the BMW 3 Series and place it on the world market,” he said.
The Dual Program allows apprentices to receive the appropriate training by instructors highly specialized in their areas of expertise of the automotive industry. The BMW Group Plant in San Luis Potosi has a Training Center equipped with 12 workshops for students to develop and execute the knowledge acquired. The strategy of maintaining a constant training program not only applies to our entities in Germany, but all international production sites of the BMW Group.
"We welcome the first generation of the Dual Program which successfully joins our team. We analyze the effectiveness of the German teaching scheme, which guarantees the adequate training of professionals, specializing not only in automotive topics, but also transmits the culture of the BMW Group from the beginning and anticipates the requirements of a labor market such as the one currently lives," mentioned Lourdes Quijas, Director of Human Resources for BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosi.
The BMW Group confirms its commitment to the region through partnerships with local educational institutions, increasing the academic level of the state and preparing students for the future employment in one of the most prestigious companies in the automotive industry. Recently the company received the third generation of the Dual Program made up of almost 70 students who will begin the training process in September of this year.