As part of her recent state visit to Germany, Halimah Yacob, President of Singapore, met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, and also visited ABB in Heidelberg to find out more about our dual training system and Industry 4.0 factory.
President Yacob and her delegation, including Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, were hosted by Hans-Georg Krabbe, Managing Director of ABB in Germany, Dr. Chunyuan Gu, President of ABB’s Asia, Middle East and Africa region, Uwe Laudenklos, Head of the Electrification business in Germany, and Marcus Braunert, Managing Director of the ABB Training Centers in Heidelberg and Berlin.
President receives insights into ABB training
Germany’s dual vocational training model serves as an example for many countries. During the visit, the delegation met with trainees and students and learned about the education system and the success of dual training.
"The economy needs well-trained professionals," said Krabbe, “and in the future, the need for characteristics such as talent, commitment and creativity will be even greater. Dual training promotes these qualities in a unique way.
“The quality of dual training at ABB in Germany is well-renowned and we have maintained a consistently high training rate of seven percent over the years,” he continued. “We also innovate and future-proof the content of the training, for example through field work and team building activities.”
ABB attaches great importance to digital skills. As digital transformation changes the world of work and requires new knowledge from employees, ABB regularly updates and expands the machinery and technologies in its training centers.
World-class Industry 4.0 factory
During her visit to ABB’s Industry 4.0 factory in Heidelberg, which manufactures circuit breakers, the President was shown how ABB meets increased customer demand for higher variation and smaller lot sizes through highly automated and globally networked production.
The factory gives trainees the opportunity to experience and learn hands-on from a world-class intelligent facility, right at their doorstep.
At the end of the visit, representatives of the Singapore Ministry of Education and the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University signed memorandum of understanding to deepen relations and intensify cooperation.
As the visit came to a close, representatives of the Singapore Ministry of Education and the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University signed letters of intent to deepen relations and intensify cooperation.
