Audi hosts debate by VIP panellists AUDI AG describes the challenges facing the educational system of the future Employees must be versatile and prepared for lifelong learning Diskussion bei Audi mit hochkarätig besetztem Podium AUDI AG beschreibt die Anforderungen an das Bildungssystem der Zukunft Mitarbeiter müssen flexibel und lebenslang lernbereit sein

Globalisation an educational challenge The question that was asked today at the event entitled "Globalisation and Education - Challenges for School and Vocational Education" at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt was an exciting one  - particularly since it pinpoints a key component of our society: how can education in Germany and Europe maintain best- in-world standards? Representatives of AUDI AG, the Nuremberg-based Research Institute for Vocational Training, the Ingolstadt University of Applied Science and the IG Metall trade union joined the Bavarian Minister of State for Education and Culture, Siegfried Schneider, in pointing to possible ways forward via a series of talks and a podium discussion at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt. The purpose of the event was above all to analyse what companies will require of applicants and employees in the future. The example of Audi demonstrates that the worldwide network of production locations, suppliers and sales markets is becoming increasingly close-knit, and that the cyc les of technical innovation are becoming ever shorter. "Our employees consequently need to be prepared to learn in every phase of life, in order always to be able to accomplish changing tasks efficiently and to a very high standard. That is the basis of job satisfaction, performance and enthusiastic customers," stressed Dr. Werner Widuckel, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG for Human Resources. Siegfried Schneider, Bavarian Minister of State for Education and Culture, reasserted: "Children and adolescents need skills that go beyond those they have already acquired in order to keep pace with the dynamic changes in knowledge and be a success in a globalised environment. This starts with recognising the fact that you have never finished learning." For Germany to remain a leading industrial base, it is not merely important to train more engineers in order to meet demand, particularly as processes become increasingly complex. Widuckel continued: "Audi has a very clear idea of what is needed: because the proportion of straightforward tasks is falling, in addition to specialist skills employees increasingly need interdisciplinary skills so that knowledge is not only applied, but also improved." He explained how the lifelong learning process that this necessitates will shape both working and private life in the future. Audi's Head of Human Resources sees schools playing a particularly vital role in promoting "learning skills": "Because complex knowledge can no longer be learned on demand, teachers need to teach methods of acquiring knowledge, arouse curiosity for realistic learning situations and shift the emphasis from the teaching of specialised subjects in front of a class to tackling areas of learning through group work." He added: "Teachers themselves should take the opportunity to spend time on the shop floor, to highlight the need for lifelong learning." The focus for AUDI AG at the event, which was being hosted jointly by the company, the Association of Bavarian Industry (vbw) and the Ingolstadt Schools and Industry Work Group, was specifically on the educational system. The company is keen to see increased permeability at both national and international level. "Different paths of education in Europe must be made increasingly comparable or be mutually recognised," explained Dr. Werner Widuckel. Audi furthermore wishes to strengthen the dual partner of the vocational school by seeing it assume responsibility for the theory stage of final examinations. Teachers could conceivably take charge of quality assurance to accompany the process, instead of exclusively performing a final check. Following the talks by Dr. Widuckel, Education Minister Schneider and Professor Eckart Severing, Head of the Research Institute for Vocational Training, Widuckel, Schneider, Professor Gunter Schweiger, President of the Ingolstadt University of Applied Science, and Dr. Klaus Heimann, Head of the Functional Department of the IG Metall trade union, discussed the theses being advanced, with Christof Prechtl, Head of Educational Policy at vbw, chairing the debate. A glance at the statistics confirms that education is a genuinely important issue, bearing in mind the globalisation of AUDI AG: Audi operates on 110 markets worldwide and has employees of 81 different nationalities. AUDI AG, Kommunikation Standorte Audi AUDI AG Communication Audi Locations November 07, 2006 BACK TO TOP HOME | CARS AND VEHICLES | AUDI-MODELS | MOTORSPORTS | | HOME | MODELLE | AUDI-MODELLE | MOTORSPORT | MOBILER ALLTAG | © Copyright 2006, motormove online. All rights reserved.