Employees
Employee development
Innovative strength and competitiveness are key factors for success in our industry. We provide our employees with support and training in specific important future fields so that we may actively shape the transformation of aviation.
We are convinced that continuous, intensive employee development is essential for our long-term success. This is why MTU is investing specifically in the training and development of talented employees. In times of change, the company is expanding its leadership skills to include forward-looking management concepts in order to support change, reinforce personal responsibility and the ability to act, and convey trust and stability. Continuous personal and professional development of our employees also makes us an attractive employer for new hires and our own talented individuals. “We empower” is one of our global leadership values.
Fast facts: #PropelledByLearning
million euros is how much we invested in training our employees.
days is how long our employees spent in training on average.
apprentices started their careers at MTU.
All figures as at the end of 2023; the figures for 2022: EUR 5.4 million invested in training, 2.6 training days on average
In addition to industry-specific vocational training and dual work-study programs aimed at building up knowledge over the long term, we support and promote the development of all our employees—this is enshrined in MTU’s Policy Statement on the Protection of Human Rights. In many areas of our business activities, aviation authorities prescribe additional qualification measures, such as mandatory training on human factors (failure through human error). Promoting training and development as well as avenues for personal development for employees and managers is also enshrined in the MTU Principles and in our HR strategy. In addition, starting in 2023, a target has been set for average training days per employee, which will be included in the variable compensation of Executive Board members and managers. This ESG (environmental, social, and governance) goal underlines how we see training our employees as a success factor for MTU’s future.
The head of People & Culture is responsible for the training and development of employees Group-wide. Every year, the Executive Board discusses training KPIs (annual education and training report), prioritizes and decides on selected training and development initiatives, and commissions their implementation.
Strengthening employee qualifications as a success factor for the future
MTU’s commitment to training its employees is reflected in a differentiated training and development program and in extensive offerings and investments that meet with a high demand for knowledge and skills acquisition among employees. This is based on our Group-wide works agreement in Germany, which guarantees access to training for all employees and requires management to conduct an interview with each employee once a year to discuss their development opportunities (training interview). At our sites in Germany, the works council is also involved in employee training in accordance with the German Works Constitution Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz) and has a say in the annual training and development program. International sites have their own regulations; at MTU Aero Engines North America, for example, an annual development plan is agreed with all employees.
We support our employees with a wide range of offerings through which to continuously develop their skills in the spirit of lifelong learning. Training needs are determined annually in a regular process in an interview between manager and employee or via departmental/company interviews by the in-house training team. A training history documents completed training and development courses. Training officers are on hand to answer questions relating to needs-focused training.
A multilingual online learning portal is the cornerstone for expanding multimedia and self-organized learning. Increased use of digital and hybrid learning formats should ensure and flexibly support the training of specialists at all levels. The training team relies on a rolling training program in order to be able to respond each year in a targeted way to changing needs within the company as well as to outside requirements.
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Employee training GRI 404-1 |
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2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
|
Training days (total) |
40,920 |
29,613 |
21,141 |
|
Training days per employee (Group-wide) |
3.3 |
2.6 |
2.0 |
|
Training days according to employee category per manager |
5.1 |
2.9 |
2.4 |
|
Training days per employee category per employee |
3.1 |
2.6 |
2.0 |
|
Proportion of women in training courses |
19.2% |
18.2% |
16.0% |
Data on training days for 2022 exclude the Rzeszów site in Poland due to a lack of data availability following an IT system changeover.
Further training as a compensation-relevant corporate objective
MTU’s leadership value “We empower” is reflected in a high level of training. Employees completed a total of 40,920 training days in 2023; the average number of training days per employee across the Group was 3.3, which was higher than in previous years.
As of 2023, the social ESG goal has been assigned to the leadership value “We empower” and is determined from employees’ qualifications and training. The average number of training days per employee at the German locations (Munich, Hannover, Ludwigsfelde) is included in the variable compensation of Executive Board members. The average number of training days per employee in 2023 was 3.6, which is above the target value of 2.5 days. For more information about this, see the compensation report, 2023 Annual Report, p. 25
In addition to the time that employees are given for training, the company promotes the lifelong learning model with extensive investments in the area of employee development. We invested EUR 8.5 million in training schemes Group-wide (2022: EUR 5.4 million; costs for internal and external training, excluding vocational training). This increase correlates with the target of average training days per employee and is due in part to the Business Challenge training initiative for all managers.
Leadership and collaboration are key factors in MTU’s development
MTU is pushing ahead with developing its managers so they become companions and drivers in change situations in order to strengthen the company’s future performance. In this process, the MTU leadership values (“We transform,” “We empower,” “We create trust”) take on even more relevance as a shared basis for managers’ values and conduct. The values are intended to provide orientation and formulate expectations for leadership behavior.
The human resources and organizational development team assists managers on-site in implementing changes for them, both personally and in their work situations, and supports company-wide change processes such as the Turnaround project at the Hannover site or the Excellence made in Berlin-Brandenburg project at the Ludwigsfelde site. The Business Challenge, a cross-site training initiative for all managers, aims to strengthen independent, entrepreneurial thinking and action. It was launched in 2023 with a focus on collaboration between the OEM and MRO segments. The training program integrates pioneering learning technologies such as virtual reality. A competency model in the area of digitalization is also being developed for managers, which will form the basis for future training measures.
MTU also offers development opportunities and programs across all levels in order to identify and best cultivate new talent, while supporting our existing managers in their professional development. The core instrument is a personal assessment, e.g. through participation in a development center. A full 95% of new managers with leadership responsibilities at a German site who were promoted from within in 2023 had participated in development center activities. MTU offers new as well as more experienced managers support from coaches regarding a change in leadership or function as well as for the purposes of reflection and sparring (“pit stop” coaching).
Our programs
We have numerous Group-wide initiatives that we use to develop our managers and support them both professionally and personally:
- Development centers
- Management transition coaching
- First Leadership Program
- Building on Talent / International Building on Talent
- International Leadership Program
There are also site-specific offerings for managers, such as the Coaching Culture@MTU program for new managers at the Poland site and the Leadership Essentials program at the Serbia site. Both programs were launched in 2023.
A boost for newcomers
At our MTU Aero Engines North America site, we have a rotation program for entry-level graduates that takes them through a variety of departments focusing on different areas of engineering. Moreover, we cover a certain portion of tuition fees for employees there who return to university to obtain a master’s degree as part of their development plan. In Germany, we offer an 18-month junior entry and trainee program called JET, which provides comprehensive insights into MTU and its structures and processes, and prepares trainees for their future position.
Our new apprentices start their careers
Sound vocational training based on the dual-track system
For us, vocational training is a central component of securing promising young employees. In Germany, we offer a solid grounding in ten different trades as part of a dual work-study approach, while the places we offer for students taking dual-track courses of study offer different specializations. We pursue a holistic approach that goes beyond specialist topics to also cover social and ecological aspects, for instance through health, occupational safety, and environment days or through corporate social responsibility → For examples, see the section on Corporate social responsibility. Our German locations welcomed 105 young people who started apprenticeships in 2023. That year, apprentices accounted for 2.6% of the total workforce; in Germany, where most of our apprenticeships take place, the share was 3.2%.
was the number of apprentices we had on board at the end of 2023. They complete a two-to-three-year apprenticeship based on Germany’s dual-track system or an 18-month on-the-job training course at our site in Canada.
In addition to apprenticeships, MTU also collaborates with German vocational academies in Stuttgart, Ravensburg, and Berlin as well as with Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University to offer practical courses of study in business administration, information technology, mechanical engineering, and business engineering. What’s more, we participate in numerous educational projects and initiatives for children and young people. → Corporate social responsibility
For MTU Maintenance Serbia, the company has established a training concept based on the dual system used in Germany in collaboration with the Aviation Academy Belgrade. In the reporting year, it also entered into an agreement with the Serbian Office for Dual Education to further promote dual-track training and business-minded learning. MTU Maintenance Canada has opened a new on-site training academy in collaboration with the British Columbia Institute of Technology, combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience in engine maintenance. The training program is designed for 36 participants, who can then go on to deepen their specialist knowledge at MTU.
