- Meet the Manager gives 32 students the opportunity to look over the shoulders of female managers at the international automotive supplier
- One in three people who take part in the program stay at Continental
- In the future, Meet the Manager will also be available to professionals and female and male school pupils
The international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner Continental offered an exclusive opportunity to look over the shoulders of female managers as they go about their everyday work. A total of 32 students - 31 female and 1 male, around half of whom are pursuing technical fields of study - took part in Meet the Manager 2014. They got the chance to meet and shadow one of 32 managers for a day, seeing how decisions are prepared and made at one of the world's leading automotive suppliers, experiencing a "normal" working day, and discovering what kind of corporate culture is embodied at the company. At the end of the program, Continental invited all the participants and managers to Frankfurt on October 10, 2014. Here the students could try out Continental's technology for themselves in a driver training session. Afterward, they spoke to the managers and Continental's Executive Board member for Human Resources Dr. Ariane Reinhart about career paths for women.
"Our industry is undergoing a transformation. Cars are becoming part of the Internet. This means we need diverse skills and abilities to be able to continue to successfully tackle the challenges of the future. Our aim with Meet the Manager in Germany is to draw attention to the career paths available to women at Continental and, in doing so, gain a better understanding of their wishes and needs. Our goal is to increase the number of women in management positions to 16% by 2020. Meet the Manager is a good opportunity to show young women how they can develop their talents and reach top positions," explained Reinhart.
"At Continental, we give junior employees a great deal of freedom right from the outset. Three in four cars in the world contain Continental technology, which makes them safe, environmentally friendly, comfortable, and affordable. With us, women and men can develop as equals in a highly innovative environment and in a corporate culture based on Continental's values of "Trust," "Passion To Win," "Freedom To Act," and "For One Another." Hence, our program is aimed at all exceptional students who want to make a key contribution to the future of mobility," emphasized Reinhart.
Continental organized its first Meet the Manager program in 2013, during which 30 students were given an insight into the daily work of some of the corporation's top female managers. Approximately one in three of the participants were offered a place at Continental, either as a work-placement student, an intern, a student writing a thesis, a trainee, or a full-time member of staff.
"Meet the Manager gives students the opportunity to assess their perceptions of the working world, from the laboratory to the office to the production hall. It also enables them to establish initial contact with Continental and expand their network as a result. We also offer the Meet the Manager program internationally," explained Dr. Konstantin Drozhdin, head of HR Marketing and Recruitment. In 2013, the program also ran in China, where it gave students the opportunity to gain an insight into the work of managers operating on an international and global scale.
Next year, Continental is planning to expand the program in Germany by offering it to professionals with at least three years' work experience and to female and male school pupils from year seven upward. During the 2014 fall vacation, 22 pupils in Frankfurt, Hanover, Babenhausen, Waltershausen, and Karben will get to spend a day with either a trainee, a ContiBachelor student, or a former trainee and learn everything there is to know about their chosen career.
For more information, visit www.meet-the-manager.de. For more information on the program for school pupils, visit www.meet-your-future.de.