Gütersloh, 08/22/2017

An International Meeting of Trainees

One of Bertelsmann’s hallmarks is the diversity found in the Group. This can be seen, for example, in the different concepts for the trainee programs that the respective corporate divisions use to prepare their junior staff for future management tasks. In order to learn about the training models in the other divisions, and network with each other, ten trainees from Penguin Random House UK, Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Gruner + Jahr, and the Bertelsmann companies in Spain met for a day at the Corporate Center in Gütersloh.

Trainees Present Their Programs

As in the previous year, “International Trainee Day” offered many opportunities for meeting junior staff from other divisions and countries, and better getting to know Bertelsmann as a whole. For the first time, the trainees were called on to present their division and respective trainee program in half-hour presentations, during which their differences in terms of content and structure became clear. In “Talentum” at Bertelsmann in Spain, university graduates get to know projects from various divisions over the course of two years. At Gruner + Jahr, trainees complete four postings in 18 months. In Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland’s 22-month program, management trainees are given three fixed postings, as well as the opportunity to get to know almost all 31 departments. Meanwhile, at Penguin Random House UK, “The Scheme” gives junior staff 13 months of training, especially in the marketing sector.

“All of the presentations were highly informative, and triggered stimulating discussions within the group and were more like interactive dialogs,” says Pamela Taylor, Senior Associate, Corporate Management Development at Bertelsmann, who was responsible for organizing the event. In addition to the other participants’ presentations, the trainees were given insights into the activities of various central departments at Bertelsmann. For example, Johann Spanuth explained the tasks of the Corporate Controlling & Strategy department and gave an overview of central investment planning. Alina Grot then explained the four Bertelsmann University campuses and thus the vocational training opportunities within the Group.

Visit to the “CRM Studio”

An excursion to the operative business was also on the day’s agenda. The trainees visited the “CRM Studio” at the “An der Autobahn” site in Gütersloh where they learned about the wide range of modern communications solutions that Arvato CRM Solutions uses to provide omni-channel customer services for its clients.

The visits to the Corporate Center and Arvato were designed to show the trainees the many career opportunities that Bertelsmann offers. “This type of exchange supports our initiatives to promote cross-divisional collaboration at Bertelsmann,” explains Taylor. “International Trainee Day gives trainees an opportunity to build their network across divisions and national boundaries, while giving them an insight into how the Group operates at Corporate level. The more they learn about the various areas of the Bertelsmann world, the better they are able to shape their professional future here – fully in line with the spirit of the 'Create Your Own Career'  campaign.”

Corporate-Level Programs

Besides the divisional and regional offers, Bertelsmann also offers trainee programs at the Corporate level. The “Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program” (BEP) is an established element of the Group’s talent strategy, in which young managers undergo various placements in Bertelsmann companies worldwide for a period of 18 months. The 20-month “Creative Management Program”  launched this year is specifically aimed at humanities and social science graduates, and seeks to empower them for a career in management.

Plans are already in place to host another “International Trainee Day” in Gütersloh next year, again giving trainees from the divisional and regional programs an opportunity to get to know the Corporate Center as well as businesses located in the immediate vicinity.