BMW Korea graduates 2,436 auto technicians through vocational training programs

BMW Group Korea has produced a cumulative total of 2,436 automotive specialists through its Apprentice and Ausbildung vocational training programs as of this year.

The company held a combined graduation ceremony and new-cohort launch for the two programs at Nest Hotel on Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Thursday. About 192 people attended, including Jeong Sang-cheon, BMW Group Korea's head of service operations, representatives from the service divisions of seven authorized BMW dealerships, graduating students and newly selected participants.

The Apprentice program is an industry-academia partnership launched in 2004 to develop skilled automotive technicians. It selects top students from automotive-related university departments, provides scholarships and technical training, and supports graduates in securing positions at authorized BMW dealerships.

The program launched with eight partner universities and has since expanded to 37. As electrified and software-defined vehicles grow more common, demand for technicians with expertise spanning electrical, electronic and software systems has grown sharply.

Ausbildung is a German-style dual vocational education system that combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction. BMW Group Korea introduced it in 2017, becoming the first automaker in the domestic market to do so.

Participants sign a training employment contract with an authorized BMW dealership, receive a salary and complete practical and academic coursework simultaneously. Upon completion, they earn an associate degree and a training certificate from the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and are granted BMW Junior Technician status. They are also given the opportunity to be hired full-time by the dealership where they trained.

Through this year, BMW Group Korea has produced 1,898 graduates through the Apprentice program and 538 through Ausbildung, for a combined total of 2,436. They currently work as maintenance and service specialists across seven authorized BMW dealerships.

"We operate a range of education programs so that automotive specialists can gain hands-on experience and grow in the field," Jeong said. "We hope the graduates from this cohort will demonstrate their expertise at their respective workplaces and provide service that customers can trust."