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Volkswagen Group China considers supporting the sustainable development of China’s auto industry as an important mission. In addition to providing consumers with reliable, high-quality products and services, the Group has also continued to cultivate innovative talents to adapt to the future trends of the industry. In 2021, Volkswagen Group China teamed up with the China Education Development Foundation to launch the Youth Summit project. The project creates an exclusive platform for young talents in universities to engage in innovative practices for future mobility. The project has offered a series of competency training and coaching activities to promote students’ innovation, enhance their overall competitiveness and support their development.
Since its launch in 2021, the Youth Summit project has reached more than 200 universities, benefiting almost 20,000 young students. Survey results of the project indicate that nearly 70% of the students involved stated that the project has "enhanced their professional knowledge and skills in the mobility industry." Over 60% of students expressed that the project has "enriched their extracurricular life and broadened their horizons." More than half of the students said that they believed the project has helped them "improve general skills such as teamwork, communication, innovative thinking, and self-directed learning."
In 2023, Youth Summit sparked campus dialogues on future mobility with promising young talents in five universities in Shanghai, Hefei, Wuhan, Chengdu and Beijing through a variety of interactive activities, such as panel discussions, innovation camps, and group presentations. This year, the project will focus on five mobility topics: “inclusive mobility in cities”, “vehicle structure innovation”, “big data solutions for safer mobility”, “emotional design for intelligent vehicles”, and “the future mobility ecosystem”. Through diversified online courses, the project aims to promote students’ innovation, enhance their overall competitiveness and support the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents.
In 2022, Youth Summit Innovative Camp, under the theme of “Creating Future Mobility”, concluded in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Shanghai. 448 students from 144 universities took part in the camps. They explored the mobility industry through unique topics linked to each city and proposed 94 outstanding proposals that could help shape future mobility. In addition to the camps, 12 online capacity-building training sessions, covering topics like career development, technical knowledge, and automotive industry trends, were held for over 8,000 students to meet their needs and promote their overall skill development.
In 2021, the project focused on “Creating Low Carbon Mobility”, with 34 online and offline training sessions delivered to over 8,000 students from more than 100 colleges and universities in over 35 Chinese cities. The project received 205 proposals. After several selection rounds by the project committee composed of 21 industry experts, the top 10 proposals were named based on creativity, feasibility, sustainability and social value. Several young managers from the Group R&D department participated in the project as mentors and judges, providing professional guidance, sharing their expertise, and exchanging creative ideas with students, empowering them to consider the implications of their innovation.
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The key to revitalizing rural areas lies in fostering talent. Vocational education is a significant measure in facilitating rural revitalization: not only does it enable students from low-income families to acquire specialized skills, propelling their personal growth and enhancing their family's economic income, but it also cultivates professionals with technical knowledge to meet the demands of rural industrial development, thereby driving the region's long-term economic growth. Based on the "teach a man how to fish", Volkswagen Group China provides financial support and access to vocational automotive education opportunities for outstanding students with financial difficulties, in order to advance vocational education and propel the strategy for rural revitalization.
In 2023, 30 outstanding students from six secondary and higher vocational schools in five provinces were invited to Shanghai, where they visited a SAIC VOLKSWAGEN dealership and MEB Plant and took part in a guided tour of Auto Shanghai. Through these activities, they learned about the latest products and cutting-edge technologies in the automotive industry. In addition, the project created opportunities for the students to deeply communicate with the Group’s employee volunteers, working staff in dealership, and factory employees. The activities enabled them to broaden their horizons, and take a deep dive into the industry while fueling their future career development.
In 2022, the Better Life project expanded from Sichuan, Hunan and Jiangxi to Anhui and Hebei provinces, helping 1,000 more students in five provinces complete their automotive education. Based on students’ actual needs and valuable feedback, the project continuously optimized the online training courses and developed over 20 tailored curriculums covering automotive theory, practice and culture, and career mentoring that help keep students up to date on the latest NEV technology. In addition, the project also organized online tours and explanations of the FAW-Volkswagen factory in Chengdu and ID. dealership stores for all students at the beneficiary schools. These tours provided students with the opportunity to closely understand the production of NEVs and experience the corporate culture of the Volkswagen Group. The aim was to not only make students fond of automobiles but also motivate them to be more willing to develop their careers in the automotive industry.
In 2021, the “Better Life” project was launched in Sichuan, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, supporting 1,000 students to complete a vocational auto repair education at the secondary or senior level, easing the financial burden of their families and empowering students to realize their dreams of a better life. In addition, the project also coordinated employee volunteers to provide students with car knowledge-sharing courses. The curriculum covered a range of topics, including understanding automobiles, car brand culture, passenger safety protection, and car maintenance. This offered students the opportunity to broaden their horizons and helped solidify their vocational dreams within the automotive industry.
In 2021, based on its resources and advantages in the automotive industry, Volkswagen Group China joined hands with China Foundation for Rural Development to launch the “Better Life” – Volkswagen Group China Education Project, providing financial support and access to vocational automotive education opportunities for outstanding students with financial difficulties. So far, the project has empowered 2,000 students in automotive-related majors at 34 secondary and higher vocational schools in five provinces, including Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Hebei provinces. Through a series of tailored courses and experiential activities, the project empowers students to broaden their horizons, enhance their knowledge and skills, contribute to the sustainable development of China’s automotive industry, promote rural revitalization through talent cultivation, and contribute to China’s long-term sustainable development.
The project has received widespread, positive feedback from both the students and their schools. An independent research institution's study of the project revealed that over 80% of the beneficiary students indicated the project "alleviated their academic burdens," nearly 70% stated the project "created more opportunities for them to understand the automotive industry," and nearly half of the students indicated the project "enhanced their interest and determination to pursue a career in the automotive industry." More than 90% of the schools acknowledged the project's positive role in "broadening horizons and providing students with opportunities to learn about the latest knowledge related to the automotive industry."
