Ausbildung is a vocational program that has a long tradition in Germany. Participating students are to officially sign a contract with the company and go through a three-year curriculum at local universities.

Those who successfully complete the entire program get an associate’s bachelor’s degree in Korea and acquire the opportunities to work as certified maintenance technicians at the official service centers of Mercedes-Benz Korea. They will also obtain the Ausbildung certification issued by the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Ausbildung certification acquired in Korea is also recognized in Germany. The Ausbildung program will be offered at Doowon Technical University and Yeoju Institute of Technology and will start with 90 students in September.

Over the past decade, Mercedes-Benz Korea also has been running the Automotive Mechatronic Traineeship, the automaker’s 16-month technician nurturing program for college students. So far, 130 students have received Mercedes-Benz Qualified Maintenance Technician certifications.

The company’s Mobile Academy meanwhile was launched in Korea in 2014. About 310 students have finished the vocational program, with most of them employed by Mercedes-Benz’s dealer network.

To support these programs, Mercedes-Benz invested some 25 billion won ($22 million) to build the Mercedes-Benz Training Academy in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the world’s third and Asia’s first Mercedes-Benz training facility with capacity of 15,000 people, designed to provide the highest level of vocational courses to its trainees.

In January, Mercedes-Benz Korea’s President and CEO Dimitris Psillakis pledged to create some 1,000 new jobs in Korea.

“We will continue to do our utmost in developing the human skills and nurturing the future talents in Korea by providing more opportunities for education to Korean talents and generating automotive industry experts,” he said. 

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)