Across Germany, 113 young people are currently beginning courses of training at Tognum, the specialist for propulsion and power solutions.

Most of the school-leavers are starting out on their new careers at the company's largest location in Friedrichshafen where 70 trainees have taken up apprenticeships and 19 students have embarked on university business studies or engineering degrees with integrated periods of practical training at Tognum. A further 24 apprentices are undertaking their training at other locations in Germany.

Among the apprentices, the largest group is made up of industrial mechanics (39) followed by mechatronics technicians and automation electricians (14). Further vocational options taken up at Tognum include courses for construction mechanics, technical patternmakers, industrial safety and security specialists and technical product designers. On the commercial side, the company also trains staff for office communications and industrial sales/purchasing specialisation.

This year, for the first time, in addition to the ten courses already available Tognum is offering university-entrance level students a new `dual´ (joint university/industry) course: students aiming for a `Bachelor of Engineering´ degree can now opt for a specialisation in Energy and Environmental Technology. The 89 apprentices and students at the Friedrichshafen location gained their places in competition with around 1000 other applicants. Currently, 304 apprentices and `dual´ students from the Cooperative State University of Baden-Württemberg are undertaking training at MTU Friedrichshafen. A quarter of them are female

Over the coming weeks, the next generation of specialists will also be embarking on training courses at other German locations. In cooperation with Siemens, MTU Onsite Energy Gas Power Systems in Augsburg is running mechatronics apprenticeships for school-leavers. And in addition to aspiring industrial mechanics, Tognum subsidiary L´Orange in Glatten will be welcoming a university-entrance level student starting out on a `dual´ Bachelor of Engineering degree. At Tognum subsidiary SKL Motor GmbH in Magdeburg, courses for up-and-coming trainee industrial mechanics, mechatronics technicians and industrial sales/purchasing specialists began at the end of August.

At MTU South Africa, the training year started as long ago as April. In Cape Town, Johannesburg and Simon´s Town, five apprentices will complete theoretical course elements before going on to practical training as engine assemblers and service technicians. In August, two further apprentices joined the group which is being trained by MTU South Africa in conjunction with the South African Navy. A total of 17 apprentices are currently undergoing training at MTU South Africa.