Rolls-Royce has opened a new Vocational Training Center in Friedrichshafen. The center, which encompasses an area of 2,800 sqm, will be used with immediate effect to equip the company’s apprentices with leading-edge capabilities across all 18 training areas. A total of one million euros has been invested in converting the facilities and purchasing modern equipment such as an industrial 3D printer and an automation system, enabling trainees to work with new technologies.
“We have invested extensively in our Vocational Training Center in Friedrichshafen, converting it, expanding it and making it fit for tomorrow’s training needs,” explained Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, adding: “Sustainable training is also an essential ingredient in implementing our PS 2030 corporate strategy, as we make the transition from a conventional engine supplier to a provider of integrated solutions. We will continue our in-house training of the skilled specialists we need for the future.”
“One special highlight in the training center is the new 3D printer. In addition to apprentices and sandwich degree students in various disciplines, the facility is also used by both Production and Development, making it a place where information and insights are shared across the company,” said Martin Stocker, head of MTU Apprentice Training at Rolls-Royce. “Major investment was also being made in electronics training, with a new automation system and a collaborative robot making it easier for trainees to understand and improve digital production processes. This will prepare them for the challenges of digitalization in manufacturing industry, which is known as the Smart Factory revolution,” Stocker continued.
100 years of vocational training
The opening of the new training center marks the end of a year of events celebrating the centenary of MTU Apprentice Training. The predecessor company Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH was the first business in the Lake Constance & Upper Swabia area to set up a permanent training workshop with its own factory school in 1919. Since then, some 8,000 young people have begun their careers with MTU apprenticeships.
In all, Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division trains people in a total of 13 industrial and commercial disciplines, and five sandwich degree courses. In addition to the particularly popular apprenticeships in industrial mechanics and mechatronics, this year saw the first apprentices and students commencing their training in computer science. Power Systems is helping young people start their careers not just in Friedrichshafen, but also at five other locations in Germany, Norway and the United States.
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