ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe Awarded German Training & Development Prize 2013
04/23/2013 - ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG has been awarded the German Training & Development Prize 2013 for excellence and best practice in connecting talent management, knowledge management and demographic change management in an integrated people management system.
On 22 April 2013 TÜV SÜD Academy and EuPD Research Sustainable Management presented awards to businesses which demonstrate exemplary commitment to the development of their employees in fostering their creativity and skills. Among the winners at the ceremony in Stuttgart was Germany's biggest steel producer, ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG, receiving first place in the category "Production/Large Enterprises.”
The judges' comments outlined the reasons for their selection: "ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG is awarded the German Training & Development Prize 2013 for excellence and best practice in connecting talent management, knowledge management and demographic change management in an integrated people management system. Work-based learning is a fixed component of the company's corporate goals and benefits all employees thanks to a wide range of innovative approaches. Training and talent management is supplemented by a comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy."
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG executive board member and HR director Thomas Schlenz, speaking at the award ceremony, said, "Over many years we have systematically built and expanded our talent management program and are now well equipped for the challenges of the future. We are delighted to receive confirmation from a high-caliber panel of experts that we are performing so well against this benchmark. Receiving the German Training & Development Prize 2013 is to us both recognition and incentive".
A total of 133 companies entered the competition for the German Training & Development Prize 2013. Prize winners are selected in a multi-stage judging process by a panel of academics and representatives of renowned research institutes and the business community. The training and talent management systems are analyzed and judged as a whole, with a focus on identifying optimization potential available in the company. Klaus Bailer, head of HR at ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe, explains the company's high score as follows: "Our talent management program is closely aligned to our intensive efforts to establish a far-reaching demographic change management system. We recognized early on that demographic change – for instance the aging population and lack of skilled employees – meant that we would have to do something to secure future talents in good time". As part of this planning numerous measures were developed and successfully implemented – with the focus on "Health, safety and efficiency," "Attracting and retaining employees," "People development" and "Optimum manpower planning". But the company will not be relaxing its efforts after winning the award: "At the top of our agenda now is "Leadership development", says Bailer. "We have communicated our claim to leadership excellence at all management levels and will push to achieve this, because a good leadership culture is the key to motivated, creative and satisfied employees."
