Porsche gives back to the community

TRAINING: FOR THOSE FROM SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS

75 men and women will recieve tuition to become service mechatronics.

It was off to Cape Town last week where Porsche opened a new training centre in our country and took a big step in giving back to the community. Over three academic years, 75 men and women from socially disadvantaged backgrounds will be trained as service mechatronics. This training will unlock career opportunities in the retail organisations of the Volkswagen Group.

Porsche intentionally designs the training to cover topics far wider than those required inhouse, in order to give the trainees as many opportunities as possible.

This project is being organised in association with the Don Bosco Salesian Institute Youth Projects (SIYP) in Cape Town and the local Porsche importer, LSM Distributors (Pty) Ltd. Eight women and 16 men will participate in the first year of training.

Porsche has equipped SIYP with two seminar rooms and a training workshop which includes cars for the trainees to work on.

The training content has been designed by the brand’s after sales experts, who are responsible for the project. They are also tasked with training the trainers of the newly-established Porsche Training and Recruitment Centre South Africa, under the umbrella of the worldwide After Sales qualification initiative PAVE (Porsche After Sales Vocational Education).

The aim of this initiative is not only to find young talent for the VW retail organisations but also to raise the image and attractiveness of working as a service mechatronic in the long term.

Due to the increasing significance of digitalisation, electrification and connectivity in automotive manufacturing, the importance of after sales services are growing. With this project, Porsche proactively supports the adaptation of the education system for a future-oriented business.

Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Michael Drolshagen, After Sales Manager at Porsche AG, said: “When I look into the eager faces of our first trainees it’s a further confirmation that we and our partners are doing the right thing: creating opportunities for young adults to enhance their skills and position themselves permanently in the job market, and opportunities to develop a professional reputation and use this reputation to strengthen their positions in society.”

With the Salesian Institute

Youth Projects, Porsche has an experienced partner at their side.

“Creating new opportunities, opening their minds and hearts, this is what the Salesians have done for our young people in Cape Town since 1910. We want our youth to believe in themselves and

help them achieve their fullest potential. We are delighted that Porsche has partnered with us to create opportunities for those deserving of this chance”, says Lynn Steven, Chairperson of SIYP.

From its fourth year, the training programme is planned to fund

itself, while at the same time the sole responsibility for the training will be transferred to SIYP. Porsche and the VW Group brands will continue to supervise the project and will be responsible for enhancing the curriculum as well as employing the graduates.