Gütersloh, 04/13/2018

‘Unique in Its Diversity’: Testimonials from the Creative Management Program

A year ago, Bertelsmann launched a trainee program for humanities graduates that is currently unique in Germany. The five trainees in the Creative Management Program, now on their third placement, are thrilled as they look back on the past twelve months at a wide range of Bertelsmann divisions. Since the end of March, humanities and social sciences graduates have been able to apply for a new round of the program.

“The variety of the program is what makes it unique for me,” explains Eva Lindemann. “An extremely exciting and edifying time,” adds Marie-Fee Taube. Felix Schweren says: “So far it has delivered exactly what it promised.” The “Creative Management Program” – Bertelsmann's unique trainee program for humanities graduates in Germany – celebrates its first birthday in the next few days. The success of the first round is evident in the fact that a second round of the program was recently launched – but also and above all in how well the participants themselves speak of it.

The five “Creative Management Program” trainees are currently on their third placement and look back with enthusiasm on their past twelve months at a wide variety of Bertelsmann divisions. The 20-month program of rotating placements at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, Verlagsgruppe Random House, Gruner + Jahr, BMG and other Bertelsmann divisions gives them multifaceted insights into the Group's businesses and industries. At the same time, the trainees acquire economic and entrepreneurial skills in accompanying seminars. Eva Lindemann and Marie-Fee Taube talk about their personal experiences and impressions in the text below.

‘Different Business Models, Content and Personalities’

“We get to know different, creative content, business models and corporate cultures, deal with commercial, strategic and content-related matters and encounter interesting, very diverse personalities and working environments,” is how Eva Lindemann from Hamburg describes the extensive spectrum that she and the four other trainees encounter during the “Creative Management Program.”

Lindemann’s placements so far have been at Gruner + Jahr in Hamburg, RTL II in Munich, and RTL Interactive in Cologne. At Gruner + Jahr, she worked in the Digital Products department, where she helped serve as an interface between the “Barbara Digital” editorial and marketing staff in the Digital Business Management unit. During her time at RTL II, she worked in marketing and in digital product management.

“Right now, I’m at RTL Interactive working in the 'Creative Kitchen’, where new video and social storytelling strategies and concepts are developed, tested and transferred into the daily business,” says Lindemann about her current placement in Cologne. “The diversity of the projects and project teams gives rise to exciting synergies with various of the company’s departments and creative units. She is also already looking forward to getting to know the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland video-on-demand department, followed by “TV Now.”

‘The Focus Is on Content and People’

Beyond all the varied insights into the different divisions, there are also general topics and trends that “run like a thread through the assignments and present each division with challenges and new tasks,” says Eva Lindemann. They include “changing media usage habits, or how to handle rapidly growing international competition. However, the communication studies graduate feels that humanities and social sciences graduates have clear advantages when it comes to these challenges: “As part of our studies, we dealt intensively with social developments and trends, analyzed and reflected on them, and thus developed a vision and certain sensitivity for them. Of course, the methodological knowledge acquired is also valuable, as are the statistical tools. But above all, our degrees revolved around content and people – which is precisely what media companies focus on.”

Regardless of which division she is currently working in, Eva Lindemann finds one thing impressive above all: “The open-minded and interested colleagues in all areas, who are always open to exchanging ideas. And it's a great feeling to see this exchange continue even after a move to another division.”

‘Different Cultures within the Bertelsmann Universe’

Marie-Fee Taube, who studied communications and management at the University of Osnabrück, has so far also experienced the trainee program for humanities graduates as very versatile and consistently positive. “The varied content and requirements in the divisions make the program extremely exciting and good for training long-view thinking. Add to that the different company cultures within the Bertelsmann universe that build our awareness for diverse work environments,” she says.

She points out that a high degree of open-mindedness is essential on the trainees’ part, so that they can quickly adapt to new areas and team constellations in the rapidly changing rotations. In conjunction with the trainee program’s structure – which includes learning modules, formats for meeting with top management, and support from HR – this makes the program an extremely exciting and edifying time, says Taube.

‘Commercial and Technical Tasks’

Her program started with a stint at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland in Cologne, where among other things, she was involved in format development at Vox's Creative Unit, and also supported IP Deutschland's corporate communications.

Afterwards Marie-Fee Taube, too, moved to G+J’s Am Baumwall headquarters in Hamburg. “I particularly enjoyed my time in Business Management at G+J Digital Products because my assignments there were a colorful mix of commercial and technical tasks,” she says. “My placement involved questions like 'Where do the three major brands 'Stern', 'Brigitte' and 'Gala' generate their traffic and where can potential for expansion be found here?’; the expansion and marketing of the millennial portal ‘Neon'; and other exciting innovation topics.” At the moment, she is back in Cologne, working in communications at Vox and in strategic marketing for the Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland.

Marie-Fee Taube sees the benefit of the “Creative Management Program” in the fact that it gives humanities graduates access to professional areas where they would often have difficulty gaining entry as career starters. She stresses, however, that all five trainees from the first round are by no means total strangers to the territory: “All of us continuously created connections to the business realm through internships or by adding courses to our degrees.”

Rationale behind the ‘Creative Management Program’

The Bertelsmann “Creative Management Program” is specifically aimed at graduates of master’s programs in the humanities, social sciences, politics, media, language or communication sciences, in sociology or journalistic studies. Besides having completed a degree in the humanities or social sciences, applicants should also have a strong interest in business and some relevant practical business experience.

The three-stage application process for the second round of the trainee program, consisting of online application, online test, and selection day, started in March. While to date the focus of the placements has been on Germany, the program is now being extended to include a placement in another European country. Applications will be accepted until May 13. The program starts in mid-October.