Gütersloh, 09/17/2019

‘Creative Management Program’ Enters Round Three

Starting today, humanities and social sciences graduates can once again apply for the Bertelsmann trainee program. The 18-month rotational program gives them a wide range of insights into the Group’s businesses. One of the placements during the program is in another European country.

A career in business may not be the first thing that comes to mind for humanities and social sciences graduates. However, the fact that graduates of these disciplines can also be successful as entrepreneurs has been demonstrated not least by the nine participants of the “Creative Management Program” launched at Bertelsmann two years ago. Fueled by this success, the trainee program, which is unique in Germany, is now entering its third round. Applications are open until November 17, 2019. The “Creative Management Program” is specifically aimed at master’s graduates in the humanities, social sciences, politics, media, linguistics, communication sciences, sociology, and journalism.

“The ‘Creative Management Program’ for humanities graduates is unique,” says Bertelsmann Chief Human Resources Officer Immanuel Hermreck. “This is one of the ways we attract people with creative potential to Bertelsmann. Creativity is the foundation of our entrepreneurial success.”

‘Ideal starting conditions for a successful career’

“Our ‘Creative Management Program’ offers humanities graduates the ideal starting conditions for a successful career, as proven by the previous graduates’ stories,” adds Judith Gördes, Vice President Employer Branding & Talent Acquisition at Bertelsmann. “For example, Mirijam Trunk joined the publishing management of the Gruner + Jahr news group directly, and a year later was appointed Managing Director of the Audio Alliance. Bertelsmann makes extraordinary careers possible for people who think out of the box and have entrepreneurial drive.”

Besides Mirijam Trunk, other “Creative Management Program” trainees now have full-time jobs in the Group as well. For example, Marie-Fee Taube and Eva Lindemann from the first round of the program now work as management spokespersons at Mediengruppe RTL. Alexander Sasse, who started the program last year as a trainee, has worked as a management assistant to Oliver Radtke and Stephan Schäfer at G+J since the beginning of the month. He also supports Stephan Sieprath of the Bertelsmann Corporate Network as project manager for the Bertelsmann Content Alliance.

Four placements in 18 months

The “Creative Management Program” runs for a total of 18 months, during which the participants complete various placements at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Verlagsgruppe Random House, Gruner + Jahr, BMG, and other Bertelsmann divisions, including one in another European country. In addition to the insights they gain into the Group’s businesses and sectors, the trainees also acquire economic and entrepreneurial knowledge in accompanying seminars.