Testimonials
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany Felicitates Two Indians Trained By The German Dual Education System
H.E. Michael Steiner, German Ambassador to India, handed out the awards to Mr. Ashwin Jayaraman (Topper, IGTC Batch 2011-2013) and Ms. Sushmita Datta, Business Unit Head of High Performance Materials, Lanxess (I) Pvt. Ltd. (IGTC Alumni Batch 2000-2002) on behalf at the BMBF at the 20th Convocation Ceremony of the Indo-German Training Centre (IGTC) on 18th March 2013.
Ambassador Steiner’s Keynote Address on the Convocation Ceremony:
“Dear Ms. Mehta, Dear Graduates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,Around 20 years ago, three important events happened:
- 1. The Berlin wall came down, a world divided into East and West became one globalised world!
- 2. At the same time in India, the Finance Minister Manmohan Singh started a groundbreaking reform process to modernise the economic setup of India.
- 3. And thirdly, the most important event: You, today’s graduates, were born around that time. In fact, you grew up in a new world which no generation before you has experienced.
Dear Graduates, today is your day! You have successfully concluded 18 months of Vocational Training: 12 months of it in the Indo-German Training Centre, and 6 months of practical training in the real world, in a company. I am sure, this was at times quite tough, no piece of cake, kein Zuckerschlecken, as we say in German, and quite a challenge to pass the final exams.
But you made it! Your efforts are paying off now. Many of you already have a job-perspective, and the others are now well equipped to get one soon. The training you enjoyed is quite special: the famous German Dual System of Vocational Education & Training: The right combination of theoretical learning and practical training. You know that even the American President praised this system in his most recent State of the Union address. It is indeed one of the key ingredients to Germany’s economic success.
And IGTC did even more: It taught you how to learn! This is so important because in your professional life learning will not end but accompany you throughout your career. It will open you the doors, also to Germany, Europe and the world as a whole.
The ties between India and Germany are deeply rooted in history. While you were going through your 18 months of vocational training, we celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations with a Year of Germany in India and an India Year in Germany. With the Year of Germany in India, we reached more than one million Indians proving that Germany is indeed attractive to Indians, especially the young, and that we are ideal partners.
India needs good education and training for 500 million young men and women by 2022 (PM Singh).
German companies need well qualified, skilled young Indians. The shortfall in the skilled workforce in Germany increases year by year. By 2025, it will have reached 6.3 million i.e. a huge number of vacancies to fill!
Germany has in recent years developed a welcoming environment for young professionals and their families through:
- a new website “Make-it-in-Germany.com” easy access, easy work permit called the Blue Card.
- in science and higher education:
- countless scholarships in both directions, hardly any tuition fees at German universities,
- 800 English diploma courses – the number of Indian students in Germany is increasing by 20% annually.
In terms of joint scientific output with Indian researchers, Germany leads the way and is second only to the US. The German language training in Indian schools is expanding greatly: Through our partnership with 1000 KV schools, we aspire to reach the magical number of one million German learners in India by 2017.
Ambassador Michael Steiner felicitates the class of 2013 at IGTC 18th Mar 2013
During his third official trip to Mumbai, German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner held the keynote speech at the Convocation Ceremony (Batch 2011 – 2013) of the Indo-German Training Centre (IGTC) of the Mumbai based Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.
The Ambassador also awarded the “Certificate of Recognition” of the German Government to two outstanding Indian students of the IGTC. This is the first time ever that these certificates have been awarded to Indian students. The IGTC in Mumbai stands for high quality Vocational Education & Training.
The Ambassador’s Speech on the Convocation Ceremony:
“Dear Ms. Mehta,
Dear Graduates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
Around 20 years ago, three important events happened:
- The Berlin wall came down, a world divided into East and West became one globalised world!
- At the same time in India Finance Minister Manmohan Singh started a groundbreaking reform process to modernise the economic setup of India.
- And thirdly, the most important event: You, todays graduates, were born around that time. In fact, you grew up in a new world which no generation before you has experienced.
Dear Graduates,
Today is your day! You have successfully concluded:
- 18 months of Vocational Training,
- 12 months of it in the Indo-German Training Center,
- and 6 months of practical training in the real world, in a company.
I am sure, this was at times quite tough, no piece of cake, kein Zuckerschlecken, as we say in German, and quite a challenge to pass the final exams.
But you made it! Your efforts are paying off now. Many of you already have a job-perspective, and the others are now well equipped to get one soon.
The class of 2013 at the IGTC Mumbai (German Consulate Mumbai) The training you enjoyed is quite special: the famous German Dual System of Vocational Education & Training: The right combination of theoretical learning and practical training.
You know that even the American President praised this system in his most recent State of the Union address. It is indeed one of the key ingredients to Germany’s economic success.
And IGTC did even more: It taught you how to learn! This is so important because in your professional life learning will not end but accompany you throughout your career.
It will open you the doors, also to Germany, Europe and the world as a whole.
Dear Graduates,
The ties between India and Germany are deeply rooted in history.
While you were going through your 18 months of vocational training, we celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations with a Year of Germany in India and an India Year in Germany.
With the Year of Germany in India, we reached more than one million Indians proving that Germany is indeed attractive to Indians, especially the young, and that we are ideal partners:
India needs good education and training for 500 million young men and women by 2022 (PM Singh).
German companies need well qualified, skilled young Indians. The shortfall in the skilled workforce in Germany increases year by year. By 2025, it will have reached 6.3 million i.e. a huge number of vacancies to fill!
Germany has in recent years developed a welcoming environment for young professionals and their families
- a new website “Make-it-in-Germany.com” easy access, easy work permit called the Blue Card.
- In science and higher education:
- Countless scholarships in both directions, hardly any tuition fees at German universities,
- 800 English diploma courses – the number of Indian students in Germany is increasing by 20% annually.
In terms of joint scientific output with Indian researchers, Germany leads the way and is second only to the US.
The German language training in Indian schools is expanding greatly: Through our partnership with 1000 KV schools, we aspire to reach the magical number of one million German learners in India by 2017.
Sure, you can get away with English almost everywhere, also in Germany. But you get so much more out of your experience if you know the language. That is why you started learning German with the help of Max Mueller Bhavan.
Placement Process for Batch 2011-2013 5th Mar 2013
Notwithstanding the difficult economic environment, IGTC Mumbai had a successful final placement process for the Batch 2011 – 2013. Recruiters included Audi, BASF, Bayer, Bosch, Bosch Auto Electronics, Clariant Chemicals, DBOI, Dr. Oetkers, HDFC Limited, Infiniti Retail, Lanxess, Merck Sereno, Siemens Financial Services, Schaeffler Group, Schmersal India, TUV India, Wacker Chemie among many more. The average compensation offered was Rs. 4.50 lakh p.a., while the maximum was Rs. 7.50 lakh per annum.
Ms. Ankita Moghe was privileged to be selected as a part of the nine-month International Trainee Programme (2013-2014) initiated by the TÜV Nord Group. This comprehensive programme gives the trainees an insight into the business units of the group, a perspective to learn and implement the learning on an international landscape. It is intended to facilitate an exchange of experience and empower trainees with specific management and operational skills and a focused area of specialization. Trainees are constantly guided and led by mentors, training heads and their performance is closely monitored, evaluated and directed as per predetermined goals. It is an opportunity to interact with other trainees and colleagues from Germany and augment the Indo-German connects by exchange of knowledge, work pattern, structuring of ideas and presenting those into a well defined frame of requirements.
Mr. Vivek Komath, another student of IGTC Mumbai Batch 2011-2013, created history by being selected as one of the first ever CAReer Trainees from India by Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd (MBIL), Pune. The organization launched “The CAReer Program” in 2013 to recruit and train the next generation of managers and company leaders. The 15-18 month program comprises of three training modules – ‘Getting Started’ (Germany), ‘Crossing Borders’ (International Daimler location) and ‘Keep Moving’ (Germany) as part of the program. The first training module was organized from June 10th – 20th, at Stuttgart, Germany to induct and orient 32 trainees from 10 different nationalities to the world of Daimler.
German delegation from the Duale Hochschule Baden Wuerttemberg (DHBW) visit the Indo-German Training Centre
For several years, the Indo-German Training Centre (IGTC) has fostered a strong synergy with the Berufsakademies in Germany, which have now consolidated to be known as the Duale Hochschule Baden Wuerttemberg (DHBW) or the Baden -Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University, Germany.
The DHBW is also based on the Dual System of Education encompassing theoretical learning with practical training and wherein every student is sponsored by a partner company. Across 8 campuses in Baden-Wuerttemberg, they train approximately 30,000 students across Bachelors and Masters programmes in Business, Engineering and Social Work Studies and collaborate with 10,000 partner companies in Germany.
On 20th November, 2012, IGTC welcomed a high level delegation from DHBW headed by President Reinhold R. Geilsdörfer and including senior representatives of various DHBW campuses. The purpose of the delegation was to explore a deeper collaboration between DHBW and IGTC including student exchange, short term study and internship modules, and ultimately the DHBW Masters degree in Business Administration for the existing IGTC Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration.
As the German organizations are deeply involved in the IGTC programme, the meeting was also attended by the following senior professionals:
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- Mr. Prasad Chandran, Chairman and Managing Director, BASF Group
- Mr. P P Srees, Vice President HR, BASF Group
- Mr. Vaibhav Rane, Country HR Expert – Talent Attraction, Bayer Group
- Ms. Izabela Megerle, Vice President HR and Admin, Lanxess India
- Mr. Devesh Srivastava, Vice President HR and Admin, Merck Limited
- Mr. S. Ramesh Shankar, Executive Vice President HR, Siemens Limited
- Mr. Rupesh Basu, Chief Manager HR, Siemens Limited
We look forward to a fruitful outcome to the meeting in the near future.
Welcome Batch 2012-2014
The Inaugural programme for the Post Graduate Programme in Business Administration of Batch 2012-2014 was held on 7th August, 2012. The function was unique as it had set the tone for commencement of the 18 month programme with pervasive enthusiasm. The IGTC, that day was filled with beaming newly joined students dressed impeccably in their formals. This year the batch comprises 55 students from technical and commercial streams who have commenced their journey of transformation with enthusiasm and hope as it will help them scale greater heights.
The programme commenced sharp at 10.00 a.m. as scheduled and after the traditional lighting of the lamp and a little prayer the students were welcomed by Ms. Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC. She was happy to receive the new batch and highlighted the importance of pursuing the choice, the students have made with vigorous optimism and sense of purpose. She introduced Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General IGCC, who gave a brief insight on the training centre’s parent body – Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and its numerous services which it offers to its member companies. Through his enlightening presentation he emphasized the role of the Chamber as being a significant catalyst for the promotion of trade and industrial relations between India and Germany. He ended his presentation with a small German speech which showed how simple it is to learn the German language.
The inaugural session followed by a week long induction has set the students on the learning mode which in turn would mould them in their career path.
Inaugural of the New EBMP Batch 2012-2013
A famous saying of “You will never win if you never begin” holds true for our new batch of Executive participants who began their one year journey with such conviction and optimism. Designed for mid-career professionals, this programme inaugurated in 2009 is ideal to equip high performing managers with a holistic and cross-functional exposure to all aspects of management.
The 3rd batch of the EBMP comprises 29 participants from Indo-German member companies like BASF India, Batliboi, Beckman Coulter, Bosch, HDFC Ergo, Kuebler Automation, Larsen & Toubro Infotech, MAN Turbo, Norddeutsche Landesbank, New Multifab Engineers, Rittal, Siemens, Sauer Danfoss and Seepex India with an average of 10 years of work experience. They have come from diverse functional areas and departments of their organizations like Accounts & Finance, Administration, Corporate Communications, Design & Development, Information Technology, International Relations, Operations, Packaging, Quality Assurance, Sales & Marketing and Technical Services.
The inaugural ceremony of the EBMP on 14th July, 2012 commenced at 10 am with the welcome address by Ms. Radhieka Mehta, Director IGTC. She welcomed the participants and expressed that given the rich and diverse work experience of the participants, experience-sharing is one of the highlights of the programme with each batch offering unique learning contexts. The lamp of knowledge was lit to mark the auspicious beginning. Thereafter each participant briefly introduced themselves and expressed their enthusiasm to share and learn as much as they could. Participants were handed over a welcome kit at the training centre which incorporated some valuable reading material for the candidates on HBR’s 10 Must Reads – The Essentials and a book named Finance sense which would be extremely useful to them in their course.
This was followed by an inaugural address by Dr. Naik who emphasized the fact that this one year curriculum will facilitate greater depth in the learning process and accelerate their career graph in the corporate world.
The Symposium on “Exploring Infinite Opportunities in German Organisations
The symposium on “Exploring Infinite Opportunities in German Organisations” at the Indo-German Urban Mela, on the 16th and 17th of April, 2012, was jointly hosted by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd., BASF India Ltd., Bayer Group of Companies, Bosch Limited, Indo-German Training Centre, Lanxess India Pvt. Ltd., Merck Ltd and Siemens Ltd as an initiative of the Indo-German HR Fraternity.
It successfully brought together young students and distinguished industry experts to discuss what it means to be a part of a German Organisation. The objective of this symposium was to showcase the unique proposition of the German companies in India and to position the German companies as the preferred place to work in the minds of today’s young talent.
The distinguished panellists on both days discussed in detail, elaborating with live examples, the aspects of sustainability, ethics, technology and innovation, freedom and respect at the work-place, global exposure and the overall development of an individual.
Placement Season at IGTC was a Big Bang !!! 1st Apr 2012
The Placement season at IGTC for Batch 2010-12 commenced with a big bang with close to 50% of the batch of 48 having been retained by their training companies. It was only a close- knit group of about 25 students which formed the core placement team. Despite the upheavals in the economy of the West, this year too, the students have been welcomed into the fold by many reputed German companies in India like BASF, Bayer, Bosch Limited, Bosch Auto Electronics, Deutsche Bank, Dr. Oetkar, Evonik Degussa, Hella, Lanxess, Nielsoft, Protos, Siemens, Schaeffler Group, Volkswagen and many more.
The whole process converted the serious management institute into a close resemblance to a Wedding Planner’s office. There were brides and grooms lined up to be wedded to their prospective companies. The atmosphere of utmost professionalism coupled with anticipation and excitement, filled the IGTC premises as the classrooms were converted to Group Discussion and gruelling Interview rooms.
We have a few students expressing their views on the placement season this year; Sayama Kazi of Evonik Degussa India Ltd expresses “If you believe that dreams come true, there’s One that’s waiting there for you…” As per normal standards the placement time starts in December. But for me the celebration came well before Diwali in 2011. After two successful internships in Sales & Marketing division, I had a Pre-Placement Offer letter as Business Development Manager. The German Dual Education system works wonders for anyone who believes in it like it did for me and all my batchmates”.
Vaidehi Limaya of Lanxess feels “After completing a tedious one and a half year of Business Administration course, what one would ideally want is a job placement which compliments all the hard work put in this education. Placements at IGTC assured that our hard work was put to good use. With known companies approaching this institute with interesting profiles, everyone here had something or the other to interest us. We were also well versed to face the grilling company interviews as we had prepared to face them with our mock interview experience”.
Kanchan Sumant was delighted to be recruited by Bajaj Allianz. She says “The experience I gained during my 6 months practical training at Volkswagen India helped me immensely to crack the rigorous selection processes conducted by the companies at IGTC. The projects which I worked on in VW enhanced the knowledge we acquired during our academic terms and gave me confidence to appear for interviews. Eery effort was taken by IGTC to provide for student’s preferences regarding the companies and job profiles. Thus each of us has got what we aimed at and desired for before coming to IGTC”.
For Tanaya Gupte placement at IGCC was a cherry-on-top. “Having worked in an organization with German culture, I always knew that after the 18 month PGPBA at IGTC I wanted to continue working in a German organization. Keeping this interest in mind, Ms. Radhieka Mehta entrusted IGCC with the responsibility to train me. My mentor at IGCC Pune was extremely supportive throughout the training period. After experiencing the work culture, it wasn’t too difficult for me to make this decision. I am glad that I trained and I am placed with IGCC”.
For Zenia Vajifdar the Deutsche Bank experience was quite enriching, “The Group Discussion round was interactive and fun, thanks to the freshness of the topic of debate. The final interview round which lasted for about 45 minutes, was extremely well-balanced, covering issues from personal to technical to social. The experience was an insight into the detailed and systematic method of processing of a German enterprise”.” She was glad to be in our dream company.
Shilpa Sood of Bosch Limited was overwhelmed to get a dream profile in her dream company. She expresses “I guess God was happy; I might have done some good deed somewhere that Bosch had an opening for a Business Analyst Role. My past work experience in procurement made me realize that I liked working with data, I had even enjoyed stats sessions in class and so my affinity towards the role. The interview was grilling, no doubt, I spoke about the statistical models, the research methodology as well as my learnings from my previous company but the VP was so supportive and friendly that it made me feel at ease which helped me give the interview to the best of my ability. This is one of the many things that I appreciate about Bosch, all the employees irrespective of their profile and post are so warm, that it speaks volumes about the values and the integrity of the company. All in all I feel very contented to be placed in the company I always wanted to get in.
Jatinkumar Ashara was overwhelmed to get an opportunity to face senior panels from organizations such as Bosch, Deutsche Bank AG, Bajaj Allianz and many more. He feels “The experience of facing the panel and sharing the rich experience gained from theory as well as practical training is beyond description.” Similarly Saumya Poojari of Siemens also feels that getting the right exposure was essential and IGTC was successful in moulding her in a manner to give the best in whatever she does.
For Manzoor Ahmed of Bosch Limited getting placed in this top German MNC was a dream come true. He believes “The constant guidance of the Faculty, application oriented approach towards studies right from the beginning and being groomed towards corporate etiquettes helped me extensively to transform my personality from an engineer to a responsible management professional”.
For the Director, Ms. Radhieka Mehta, the most satisfying part of the whole placement process was the fact that the students have been able to secure dream profiles in excellent German companies and are all set to begin a new journey.
While the encouraging response of the recruiters has already spread warmth during this chilly season, the present trend of recruitment is an ample testimony of the fact that IGTC stands for excellence in business education and the kind of faith recruiters have in the brand and the student quality.
Convocation Ceremony, Batch 2010-2012
The Dignitaries on the Dias
On the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, 23rd March, 2012, the Indo-German Training Centre, Mumbai hosted its 19th Convocation Ceremony to mark a new beginning for the Batch 2010-2012. The newly opened Sofitel Hotel was an apt venue – alluring with radiance, brimming with the spirit of accomplishment and stirring with the hospitality of the host junior class, who participated fully and responsibly with the IGTC management to welcome each and every guest.
Mr. Stephan Gerlich, Country Group Head, Bayer Group of Companies graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, while Mr. Prasad Chandran, Chairman of BASF Companies in India and Head, South Asia and Dr. Bernd Forster, Deputy Consul General, German Consulate General in Mumbai were the two Guests of Honor for the evening. Mr. Nimal Bhogilal presided over the function as the Past President of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. Amidst proud parents and distinguished guests from industry and academia, the 48 IGTC students proudly donned their black robes, fighting mixed feelings of happiness and achievement as well as sadness to bid adieu to their peers and to end their beautiful 18-month long learning process, all in the same flash of time.
The evening commenced with the welcome address by host Mr. Bernhard Steinruecke, Director General, IGCC, who is always at his best when faced with an audience of students. In his parting words to the class, he reminded them that they should always remain proud of the fact that they have had the unique opportunity to undergo a business programme, based on the special Dual System of Training, which is the most important of the four pillars of success for the German economy – the other three being the German Mittelstand i.e. the family owned companies, the German System of Trade Fairs and the Bi-lateral System of Chambers of Commerce. Mr. Nirmal Bhogilal, Past President, IGCC seconded this opinion and reinforced his belief on the uniqueness of the German system which has resulted in strong leaders and role models within German companies in India such as Mr. Stephan Gerlich of Bayer and Mr. Clas Neumann of SAP, who have made it to the top owing to this unique model of education.
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- D for this Day of Pride; for their future Destiny; for Diving Deep into the organizations; for being Dutiful towards their responsibilities and for remaining Down to earth.
- R for Respect for everybody in the organization; for Righteousness to know what is right and wrong; for being Reliable at every point of time; for Rejoice by sharing joy among people around you; and for bringing Rigour as there is no substitute for hard work.
- E for Earnestness to learn; for Enlivening others; for Encompassing all the things which are learned; and for Ensuring a work-life balance.
- A for Adaptability to the organization; for being Ambitious and Accommodative in life; for Assimilating learning from everyone
- M for Mingling with people; Maturing in one’s organization; Mastering whatever one does; and most importantly Managing all relationships well.
This way Mr. Ramesh Shankar beautifully weaved a DREAM of life for the graduating batch.
Dr. Bernd Foster, Deputy Consul General, Mumbai who had lectured and interacted with this graduating batch earlier, congratulated the students for their hard work and successful completion of the programme. According to him, the success of the IGTC is due to its two offerings at the same time; excellent management education and hands on practical training.
The Guest of Honor, Mr. Prasad Chandran, Chairman, BASF Companies in India and Head, South Asia addressed the graduating batch. He stressed on the importance of the graduating day and requested each student to make a commitment to himself by penning down a hand written charter which will define the way forward throughout their life. They must note down the guiding values in their lives; values which cannot be compromised at any cost. He also advised them to build their own sustainability model which must have their economic return, their work life balance and most importantly their role for inclusive growth.
Finally, Mr. Stephan Gerlich, Country Group Head, Bayer Group of Companies gave a brilliant keynote address to the students. He shared personal experiences of his journey from being a trainee to the top boss at Bayer. He adviced them to remain flexible and mobile in their career paths; to unquestioningly accept the opportunities that come their way and to trust what the organization has to offer. He also shared how Bayer as an organization summarizes its values in the word “LIFE” where
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- L stands for Leadership – without being formally assigned as a leader, to take the initiative of leading the group irrespective of the position one holds
- I symbolizes Integrity – as it is makes an individual a valuable resource for the organization
- F denotes Flexibility – to never hesitate, and to demonstrate an openness and a willingness in accepting any assignment given by the organization
- E for being Efficient in whatever one does by ensuring a work-life balance
The evening moved on to the most awaited part – Distribution of Certificates. To begin with, the Dr. Guenter Krueger Award for Excellence and the Bayer Scholarships Awards were announced. All the students also received the BASF Corporate Governance and Business Ethics Certificates, along with their IGTC Certificates and the German Language Certificates from the Max Mueller Bhavan. Mr. Gerlich and Mr. Chandran awarded the certificates. Representatives of companies such as Bosch, Evonik Degussa, Lanxess, Siemens, BBraun, who had played a vital role in training the students were also invited to participate in handing over of the certificates and the mementos, thereby encouraging all graduates.
Finally, the Vote of Thanks was proposed by Ms. Radhieka R Mehta, Director, Indo-German Training Centre. She extended her gratitude to the esteemed dignitaries for gracing the occasion and inspiring the students with their words of advice. She conveyed her sincere appreciation to the management of all participating companies, who have been training partners and final recruiters for the Batch 2010 – 2012. She also thanked the faculty and the Max Mueller Bhavan for not only endowing the students with knowledge, but also the required soft skills, morals, ethics and values. She promised to continue IGTC’s tireless efforts to be a strong service provider in the field of business management training for the member companies. And last but not the least; she congratulated her forty-eight students who had made her proud by becoming a force called IGTCians and by making their mark in the German organizations.
Time to Bid Bye
Post a formal photograph session, the caps went up in the air and it was followed by the sweet tradition of a cutting a cake to mark every happy occasion at IGTC. The sweetness of desserts, post a splendid dinner, could almost be felt in the environment. With tearful eyes and a sad heart filled with an abundance of good wishes and blessings, the graduates were then bid adieu. But as we turned, in that very moment, the junior batch of 2011 – 2013 was promoted to being “seniors” and the show continues at IGTC!
Journey to Deutschland – Experience of a lifetime
“As a Bosch employee, my first week was planned for visits to the various Bosch plants in Germany. I started with a small picturesque town in southern Germany, Blaischach which mesmerized me by its natural scenic beauty. People were friendly and always ready to help. It was nice to interact with people with whom I had conversed only through mails and over the phone. This helped me to become friends with them in no time. This visit was followed by a couple of other visits to towns like Waiblingen and Rutesheim. The hospitality of Germans was evident in a lot of instances and all this certainly increased my admiration for the high degree of professionalism with which they treat their people.
After the completion of my visits to the Bosch plants, I had moved to Schwäbisch Hall, Goethe Institut for my German Language Course at A 2.1 level. Besides the core curriculum, the 4 week Course was designed in such a way that I got a chance to not only learn the language but at the same time comprehend the German culture and their way of living. A visit to the local brewery and tasting the famous German beer was a unique experience by itself. Also the ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ party was something I can never forget.
Weekends were a lot of fun. The institute had organized excursion to places like Heilbroon, Wuerzberg and Ulm. I managed to get myself on the top of the world’s tallest church at Ulm and also observe the magnificence and majesty of the royal palaces at wuerzburg, a typically historical town famous for its royal palaces.
The one month in Germany has been the most enriching experience of my life because there was a lot of learning, both professionally and at a personal level.”
“Championing Success” – Bayer launches scholarship program for IGTC students
For an inventor company like Bayer, young talent is fundamental to long-term success. To provide deserving students with an opportunity to enhance their skills and get their careers off to a good start, Bayer launched a Scholarship Program called “Championing Success” for the IGTC students. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 28th July, 2011 by Mr. Steinruecke, Radhieka R Mehta, and Mr. KS Harish (Vice-President HR, Bayer Group).
Subsequently, in September 2011, Bayer conducted a rigorous selection process consisting of a Written Test, Group Discussion and Personal Interviews to select four meritorious students from the Batch 2010 – 2012 – Karthik Shivshankar, Nithin E.V., Ekta Dusija and Vaishali Baid.
On 4th November 2011, the Bayer Scholarships event was hosted at Bayer House, Powai. Mr. Stephan Gerlich, Country Group Head, Bayer Group of Companies in India awarded the students with the Bayer Scholarship Scroll and the Bayer Scholarship amount of Rs. 50,000/- each. Other top management professionals present at the event included Dr. Horst-Uwe Groh, Head of Corporate Human Resources Organisation, Bayer AG, Dr. Tim Bielfeldt, Head of HR International, Bayer AG and Mr. K S Harish, Vice President HR, Bayer Group in India.
3 months internship at Bosch GmbH, Germany
3 months internship at Bosch GmbH, Germany
“Die Erfahung war wirklich wunderbar!” This was the spontaneous reaction of the seven IGTC trainees who returned with a new outlook towards the global business environment after completing a three month stint with Bosch GmbH, Germany.
The seven students did their initial two practical training stints with Bosch in India at its various locations – Bangalore, Nashik and Jaipur. Based on their exceptional performances, they were given the opportunity to complete their final training stint with Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany at Stuttgart, Karlsruhe & Schwieberdingen respectively.
Thus, the “Bosch kids” experienced the real German-European work culture in its true sense. The last few months in Germany were one of the best experiences in their lives both from the educational perspective as well as the inter-cultural leanings. This stint offered challenges not only concerning work culture but also with respect to the environmental conditions faced by them during the winter season. “When we left India, the temperature here was 25 degree C. But when we landed there in Munich, it was as cold as 1 degree C. That’s where I realized how far I had come from home and how different it was from the familiar surroundings of our homeland!” says Radhika Atre, one of the trainees, who was completely mesmerized by the country.
Rakesh Tomar a student of IGTC, who originates from Delhi shares his dreams and aspirations with us. This young and dynamic lad, who spent three months away from India, has a tale of his own. “My career objective is to work in an International multicultural environment and my training phase in Germany provided me the insights to prepare me to achieve my goals. It was challenging to work with a highly skilled workforce.
I was assigned to study the regional practices of Europe and asked to implement them in India. Though the business practices and distribution channels are different in Europe, it provided me an understanding of the business environment and the new concepts that are emerging there, which can have a considerable impact on the business operations in India also. In addition to this I was asked to prepare a roadmap for the implementation of a segmentation strategy in India. I coordinated with my NAFTA counterparts and Bosch Australia, who had experience with implementing a similar strategy. After discussing my approach with my Boss, I could understand their concerns for the product from their perspective. Thus my project gave me an opportunity to understand the implications of the business decisions as a whole and the outcome was appreciated by my Indian as well as German counterparts.
The professionalism exhibited by the colleagues while working could also be seen after office hours, when we grouped together to play football every Wednesday. I really found it hard to make my “football frenzy German counterparts” understand why India as a nation is obsessed with cricket.
Amit Kulkarni, also a student of the Indo-German Training Centre, Mumbai has a different take on his experience in Germany. He states “Being an engineer, this was my first stint with the finance department and I was bewildered whether I could live up to the expectations of my colleagues in Germany. I got the opportunity to be a part of the Controlling Department in the Gasoline systems. Having undergone various financial subjects during my course at the training centre, I took it up as a challenge and was ready to overcome the fear of number crunching.
The German efficiency & professionalism was visible through their work. Seeing was one thing, being there and living it was exhilarating. Financial controlling at Bosch GmbH is a very dynamic process, one learns to analyse and deal with numbers. On the other hand for a car enthusiast like me, I got the opportunity to interact with prestigious clients like Daimler Benz, BMW, Audi VW & the list goes on – which was really a fantastic experience for me. My German colleagues took deadlines seriously & made it a point to complete all the work on time. They were flexible but were keen on the quality and output of their work. They did believe time is money and I could sense the commitment every time I entered my Department.
The country side of Stuttgart was cold but the people there were warm. The commute in the local trains (S-Bahn & U Bahn as it is said by the Germans) was the most enjoyable experience. Though the temperature was freezing cold, we did make it a point to have fun all along.
Radhika Atre goes down memory lane and narrates her experiences during her stay in Germany. “It was a roller coaster ride of 3 months …………. that’s all I can say!!! The ride was bumpy at times but it was an experience beyond expectations because it’s not every day you get a chance to freeze yourself in -15 degrees temperature & still enjoy. It was a dream come true to work with a German giant- Robert Bosch. I got the taste of the German way of working on my very first day!!!! The first meeting was arranged with the HR in Stuttgart, Feuerbach plant (the head office for Diesel system) where my four classmates & I were supposed to do our internship. At 10 am sharp we were introduced to the HR coordinator with whom till date we had corresponded through mails for this internship. She handed out few forms to us regarding the code of conduct, rules & regulations & most importantly the map of our department because the plant area was very huge. For many days I used to forget the way to my department building.
After completing few formalities, I was ready to meet my new department in Germany & I was thrilled to see how things worked. My department was DS SCC (Diesel Systems Sales, Cost Commercial Coordination) which is one of the most crucial departments in Diesel Systems because of the work they do and the impact of its activities on Bosch. In the department I was introduced to my mentor who made sure that I was comfortable. My department colleagues seemed bewildered when I introduced myself in German and conversed with them fluently in their language. I was entrusted with the job to support the SCC 1 & SCC 2 teams. My German colleagues became an integral part of my life during my internship.
A noticeable fact was that there wasn’t a single individual from India!!!! I took this fact in my stride because it only meant that I would be getting opportunities to learn new things from people with different cultures & different mindsets. There were people of different countries apart from Germany like China, Finland, Sweden, South America, Brazil etc. This mix of people brought different thoughts and different styles of working which I experienced during my tenure of three months. Besides the project that I was given to me involved tremendous amount of number crunching and data retrieval from various departments. This helped my interaction with people in the organisation at all levels.
It was not just work which made my life interesting in Germany but I got an opportunity to explore this beautiful country. Visiting the Eiffel Tower was a dream come true for me, because I was witnessing one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Louvre Museum and all other places in Paris showed us the typical European style structures. The city of Berlin only added another perspective about Germany with its historic monuments. In the city of automobiles – Stuttgart, I got a glimpse of Formula 1 racing which was an experience worth a million words. I was lucky enough to see the Wine festival & the amazing New Years Eve with all the fireworks & champagne to toast!!!! On my very last day at work I was gifted a Bosch souvenir as a sign of remembrance of my stay with my colleagues there”.
Thus, the three-month long internship at Bosch Germany came to an end for the seven trainees. Germany – a country with innovation & advancement in technologies was the most suitable place for them to learn and explore diverse facets of life. It reinforced the German way of living their professionalism, their positive attitude, their jest in adhering to deadlines and detailing every job. It was an experience of a life time for these dynamic minds.