Training and career development

Training
Sustainable human resources policy means investing in training even in difficult times. In other words, we are hiring and training the next generation of qualified young employees. In Germany, the share of our workforce accounted for by trainees remains unchanged at 6.5%, which far exceeds the number we need for our business. We hire 76% of our trainees for permanent positions. Our extensive training programmes in almost all work areas stand out by virtue of the practical instruction they provide, and thus they offer ideal conditions for our employees’ continual professional and personal development.

Management training
The motivation and skills of our managers and experts is one of the main factors influencing HeidelbergCement’s position in the global competitive field and its readiness to face the challenges of the future. In order to prepare our managers and experts for their future assignments, we offer training courses that are specially tailored to the needs of our company. Training is provided in classic disciplines such as strategy, leadership and management, and investment methodology, and special training options are offered in technical fields. As part of a strategic Group initiative we will further strengthen the expertise of our senior managers. To help make this possible we have upgraded the content and concepts of the existing programmes in cooperation with Duke Corporate Education, one of the leading business schools for customised management training. Between 2011 and 2014, 500 managers from throughout the Group will complete a three-stage curriculum focusing on general management and leadership that takes into account global, regional and local issues. We also offer a doctoral programme that has been designed to support talented internal and external employees with their dissertations.

Career advancement for young managers
Measures for the professional development of young managers have been consistently continued despite the difficult economic conditions in 2010. We offer highly motivated and qualified college graduates international training programmes concentrating on technology, sales, finance, human resources, purchasing and IT. In 2010 a total of 122 people took part in these programmes. A new feature is a special multi-year curriculum that prepares highly qualified engineers for advancement into management positions.

Documentation of career development hours
In 2010 we recorded the average number of career development hours per employee for the first time. The main focus areas of the career development programmes were — in addition to occupational safety — technical skills, management expertise and foreign languages. We had already recorded the data on career development in occupational health and safety in recent years as part of a pilot project. The reliable data we have for 2010 shows that each employee received an average of 9.8 hours of career development training in this area. We will further improve the reporting system and publish a balance sheet of the career development hours for several theme areas in the next Sustainability Report.