Vocational training

• 3,103 apprentices in around 50 occupations worldwide
• Around €106 million spent on vocational training

Our vocational training plays a key role in securing qualified employees at our largest site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, as well as at many other Group companies. We give school students in the career orientation phase insights into different training paths with target group-specific measures such as the Wunschberuf im Praxistest (“Test Drive Your Dream Job”) day, which is held several times a year.

Digitalization is also changing vocational training at BASF. Course content is adapted to include new Industry 4.0 topics such as modules on data management or automation, and modern communication technologies make new learning methods possible. Young people train for their future profession in modern workshops and laboratories, where they use digital technologies from the start.

In 2017, 831 apprentices started their vocational training at BASF SE and at German Group companies, filling almost all available vocational program slots in Germany. As of December 31, 2017, the BASF Group was training 3,103 people in 15 countries and around 50 occupations. We spent a total of around €106 million on vocational training in 2017.

We also foster social integration, particularly of young low achievers and refugees. Examples of this include the Start in den Beruf, Anlauf zur Ausbildung and Start Integration programs in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. In 2017, 284 young people in the BASF Training Verbund participated in these programs in cooperation with partner companies. The goal of these programs is to prepare participants for a subsequent apprenticeship within one year, and ultimately secure the long-term supply of qualified employees in the region. Since being launched at the end of 2015, BASF’s Start Integration program has supported 250 refugees with a high probability of being granted the right to remain in Germany, helping to integrate them into the labor market. We spent around €6 million on the BASF Training Verbund in 2017 as part of our social commitment.