Munich / San Luis Potosi, September 10, 2015. - The construction machinery is still operating at the ground in San Luis Potosi where, in 2019, the first vehicles will be manufactured at the future BMW plant. However, for 25 young technical students, the apprentice's daily life begins now in the capital of the Mexican State of San Luis Potosi. As one of the first areas of the new plant, vocational training starts four years before the planned start of production with the first generation of students. For this purpose, Milagros Caiña-Andree, member of the Board of Directors of BMW AG for Human Resources, inaugurated the new Training Center together with the Governor of the State of San Luis Potosi - Dr. Fernando Toranzo.

"Trained employees are a decisive factor for a successful plant," said Ms. Caiña-Andree during the opening ceremony. "Therefore, we are starting well and we are developing the key skills that will be needed first to install and equip the plant." In 2016, it is planned to continue increasing the number of apprentices and professions such as Automotive Mechatronics and Production Mechanics will be added.

The dual professional training follows the German model   

Also in Mexico, the professional training of the BMW Group follows the successful dual training scheme according to the German model. In collaboration with the Technological University of San Luis Potosi (UTSLP), apprentices acquire the foundations of their future professions. At the BMW plant, books are replaced by tool boxes and apprentices are immersed in practice. "Dual professional training not only happens in Germany, but also in most of the international headquarters of the BMW Group, which ensures us to have excellently trained personnel", explains Milagros Caiña-Andree. "For this reason, we do not hesitate to introduce this scheme in Mexico with the Technological University of San Luis Potosi, for which we have found an excellent training partner."    

The professional training at the BMW Group Plant San Luis Potosi lasts two years in shared responsibility with the UTSLP. Prior to these two years, the apprentices have already completed one year of the "Advanced University Technician in efficient electrical installations" career at UTSLP, after this first year, and once they have been selected for this training, students acquire technical knowledge, they perfect their English proficiency, and then receive specialized training in their profession.

"For BMW Group, the training of our associates is the basis of the quality of our products, which distinguishes us anywhere in the world.

The start of training

This first group of apprentices is a great moment for us. With this we mark an important step towards the future of BMW Group in the State of San Luis Potosi", commented Hermann Bohrer, President and CEO of BMW San Luis Potosi.

The selection process

After completing the application for admission, an online test is carried out for the selection process. The people who obtain the highest grades receive an invitation to a day of tests in the plant, in which the applicants demonstrate their qualities, among other things, in a teamwork and preparing a final project. In one last interview, the aspirants expose a brief self-presentation in English. The result of all these tests finally decides who gets a training position in the BMW Group. And in the coming years many will be selected, because in 2019 when the production in San Luis Potosi, the latest BMW Group plant will already employ 1,500 workers. The group invests around 1,000 million dollars in the plant, the which will have a capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year.