Youth program wins award

From youngest to oldest: Balluff wins prize for youth program

Sensor and automation specialist Balluff wins big at the "Deutscher Personalwirtschaftspreis" (German personnel management award) ceremony: The company won first place in the "Training" category.

Cologne – The Personalwirtschaft ("personnel management") professional magazine, in cooperation with the German trade show "Zukunft Personal Europe", awarded the "Deutscher Personalwirtschaftspreis" on September 16. Sensor and automation specialist Balluff won in the "Training" category with its youth program. "A uniform strategy from the youngest to the oldest was the guiding principle we set for ourselves as a company when we were developing our concept for youth development," says Caroline Rank, Head of Apprenticeship & Personnel Development at Balluff. "The fact that the program—and with it the efforts of the entire team—have now received such a distinction makes us exceptionally proud."

From youngest to oldest

The youth program of the family-run company begins at kindergartens with the "Technolino" project. In doing so, the Balluff trainees and students impart initial technical knowledge and principles during two respective excursions made to nine kindergartens from the region and during one excursion to each kindergarten on Balluff's premises. These events include magnetism and the functional principle of a "lemon battery". This is one way to awaken the curiosity of the very youngest. The program continues at the primary school under the name TechnolinoPlus.

Rousing an interest in technology

In secondary school ("Realschule"), Balluff focuses on soft skills through an etiquette course as well as on technology: designing with CAD, circuit board soldering and programming are all part of the "TecAdemy" project curriculum. Balluff organizes the Schüler-Ingenieurs-Akademie (student engineer academy, or "SIA") and supports the "Mädchen-in-MINT" project (girls in math, computer science, natural sciences and engineering) at college preparatory schools ("Gymnasien"). In the "SIA", students stop by the training workshop on a weekly basis to work on a project task put forward by Balluff. For instance, one group developed and built a Kanban rack with a pick-by-light system and an automated order mailbox. During the "Mädchen-in-MINT" project, students designed a multicolored glowing bedside lamp.

Social responsibility

Thanks to the abundance of the various projects in the respective types of school, the trainee program addresses all ages, promoting their interest in technology early on. The educational partnerships are rooted in service and training. Thus, Balluff is not just present at the educational institutions, but also invites the students to visit the company premises. "We view youth development as being our social responsibility. Therefore, we are committing ourselves to children and teenagers in the area of training at an early stage," explains Managing Director Katrin Stegmaier-Hermle. "At the same time, we are proud that in many instances, students will subsequently apply to work with us. In this way, we can counter the shortage of skilled workers, making us less dependent on the external job-applicant market."

About Balluff

Founded in 1921 in Neuhausen a.d.F., Balluff employs 4000 people worldwide and represents innovative technology, quality and cross-industry experience in industrial automation. As the leading sensor and automation specialist, the family-owned company in its fourth generation offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality sensor, identification, network and software solutions.
In 2018, Balluff Group reported revenues of around 488 million euros. In addition to the main headquarters in Neuhausen a. d. F., Balluff has sales, production and development locations around the world and can boast 38 wholly owned subsidiaries and other representatives in 68 countries. This guarantees that customers have rapid worldwide availability of products and that they are provided with high-quality advice and service quality on site.

About the prize

Each year, the "Deutscher Personalwirtschaftspreis" distinguishes companies for innovative, cutting-edge projects in the categories of Recruiting, Training, Talent Management, Workplace Health Management, Leadership and HR Organization. The prize is awarded by the "Personalwirtschaft" professional magazine in cooperation with the trade show "Zukunft Personal Europe".