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Forty-two research programs have been offered, among them 35 in R&D and seven for manufacturing and logistics.
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Volkswagen (China) Group is now making plans to renew its educational project with long-term partner Tongji University in Shanghai.
Zhang Suixin, executive vice-president of Volkswagen (China) Group, said that Volkswagen China and Shanghai Volkswagen Group Co Ltd established the Volkswagen Auto Education Fund and Shanghai Volkswagen Auto Education Fund in June 2007, which will see the automaker contribute a total of 1 million yuan to support training and education from 2007 to 2010.
"The project has entered its medium-term phase and we are very delighted with the results," Zhang said. "As the Volkswagen Group is now renewing its complete personnel development plan, we are researching how to optimize and continue the project after 2010."
Horst Neumann, member of the Volkswagen AG management board with responsibility for human resources, noted that "Volkswagen is committed to cooperating with Chinese universities in a bid to secure best human resources for the company".
"I believe the collaboration with Tongji will make great contributions to China's auto industry."
Part of the fund has been used for a training project at Tongji University, which is known for its automotive engineering and tradition of cooperation with the German government and corporations.
The project offers students opportunities to learn from internship and research at Volkswagen and has helped the company scout for promising employees.
Forty-two research programs have been offered, among them 35 in R&D and seven for manufacturing and logistics. A total of 42 students took part in the program in which 40 experienced engineers from Volkswagen tutored them along with teachers from Tongji.
Zhang said he was impressed with the research capacity and rapid progress of students.
By the end of June 2009, 22 research programs had been completed and 16 of the 22 students involved signed employment contracts with Shanghai Volkswagen, bringing the total number hired through the effort to 25.
Close partnerships
Song Weiliang, manager of the training department at Shanghai Volkswagen, said he is an example of the company's efforts as he was selected in 1986 by Shanghai Volkswagen after his graduation from Tongji University.
He said Shanghai Volkswagen has now teamed with Tongji's schools of IT, management, automotive engineering, vocational education and Sino-German studies. The cooperation has extended to some of the nation's top R&D programs such as the 863 Project.
Volkswagen has also significantly driven improvements in textbooks, a teacher at Tongji said.
In 2009, when many multinationals cut university recruitment, Volkswagen still employed graduates from leading polytechnic universities such as Tsinghua, Tongji and Dalian University of Technology.
Every year at least 50 domestic and foreign students have been in the internship program at Volkswagen (China) Group, a number rarely paralleled by other companies.
Volkswagen has been a cradle for many of the auto industry elite in China, including Ying Tongyao, president of Chery, and Chen Hong, president of SAIC Group.
