Porsche 2004 Annual Report Download - page 83

79
reached the zero-hours phase on July 31, 2005. In the current
fiscal year, employees who have reached age 55 have the option of
signing a part-time work agreement.
Career Promotion for Junior Employees Keeps the
Company Competitive
Vocational training for young people has a long tradition at Porsche.
Since capable, willing employees are the most important precondition
for ensuring the company’s ability to compete, all those who com-
pleted their vocational training successfully were offered a work
contract.
On July 31, 2005, Porsche had 198 technical and trade trainees and
16 commercial trainees at its Zuffenhausen location. In addition,
20 students with a vocational training contract with Porsche were
studying electrical engineering, business computer sciences or a
combined business management and engineering course at the
Stuttgart Vocational Training Academy.
Porsche recruits a large proportion of its junior academic employees
from former placement students and those writing their dissertations.
In the review year, more than 80 percent of the positions open to
academic students were filled from these groups. To be able to ac-
cess staff in this way is evidence that training in recent years was
successful, and is especially important in view of the drop in the
number of engineering and natural science students.
In order to maintain optimal recruitment of junior staff in the future, a
start was made in the review year on modifying the student programs
in accordance with the realigned study courses and final degrees
(Bachelor/Master). Cooperation with current faculties was extended.
By way of the advanced students’ career center “femtec GmbH”,
for example, which furthers the interests of young women who are
studying natural and engineering sciences, contact has now been
established with five of Germany’s leading technical universities. In
the review year as before, a number of “femtec” scholarship holders
were given placements at Porsche.
The location assurance agreement has been concluded on the basis
of the three current Porsche model lines – 911, Boxster and Cayenne
– and is unconnected with the decision to build the “Panamera”. None
the less, the decision to introduce a fourth model line will have a pos-
itive effect on implementation of the agreement.
In the new agreement Porsche also undertakes to continue making
trainee positions available at a high level in qualified vocations, and to
offer all trainees a work contract with no time limit in the company. In
this way the Executive Board and General Works Council acknowledge
the importance of young, qualified employees for Porsche and also
its societal and social responsibility.
Positive Experience with Part-time Working for
Older Employees
The law on part-time working for older people created a means of
reducing the burden on the labor market by offering people an oppor-
tunity to retire early from gainful employment. As long ago as April
1998 the Porsche Executive Board and General Works Council con-
cluded an agreement for the implementation of part-time working for
older employees within the company on the basis of the rulings arri-
ved at for the metal and electrical industries. Positive results led to
re-negotiation of this company agreement in March 2005 and its
extension until December 31, 2009, to correspond with the period of
validity of the part-time working agreement for older employees. In
accordance with this, the last date for these employees to commen-
ce part-time working will be December 1,2009.
This ruling on part-time working for older employees also allows Por-
sche to reduce the average age of its workforce and thus make the
process of recruiting and training younger employees more reliable.
Filling the positions being vacated by older part-time workers in good
time also has the advantage of promoting the transfer of know-how
between them and their younger colleagues. The Porsche part-time
working scheme for older employees makes a significant contribu-
tion to the company’s competitiveness and to a reduction of the bur-
den on the labor market. 938 employees have signed an agreement
since this became possible in August 1998. Of these, 163 had
Administration
Sales
Development
Production
Workforce Porsche AG
00⁄01 01⁄02 02⁄03 03⁄04 04⁄05
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000