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DISCOVER May 1/2005
Partnership in China
A head start in innovation is one of several factors required to secure competitive advantage. Cultivating innovation requires a fertile soil:
forward-thinking investment in research and development, highly qualified personnel, and underlying future-oriented training. These are tasks that Siemens A&D takes seriously, including in China. The latest evidence of this dedication is the cooperation partnership for the "Innovation Center for Vocational Development and Career Advice" in the Chinese province of Fujian. |
China is ready to go – high demand
for further education |
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Beweis dafür ist die Kooperationspartnerschaft beim "Innovationszentrum für berufliche Fortbildung und Beratung" in der Provinz Fujian.
This was emphasized by Armin
Mayer, Vice President of
Siemens Ltd. in China, representing
Anton S. Huber, Vice
President of Siemens A&D. In his
speech on September 30, 2004 in the
South-East Chinese province of Fujian,
Mayer explained "Siemens is a recognized
and respected member of Chinese
society and is contributing to the
development of the country. We have
our own R&D, engineering, and purchasing
activities, and also support numerous
education projects, similar to
that which we are signing today." The
speech was held at the ceremonial signing
of a contract for setting up a local innovation
center for vocational development
and career advice. The two other
partners involved in this currently
unique cooperation project are the government
of the province of Fujian, and
the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate
(partner state of Fujian). The planned innovation center is an important
pilot project for the continuing
and further development of school
principals and teachers, as well as the
leadership and staff of an existing vocational
school and career development
center. The province of Fujian is
responsible for the facility, which is
scheduled to open by 2009.
Teacher training now also offered in China
Alliance for Career Development
From left to right: Li Qing Zhou, Director of Foreign Affairs Office, Kurt Beck, Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate, Armin Mayer, Vice President Siemens Ltd. in
China, Wang Mei Xiang, Vice Officer of the province of Fujian and Joachim Kessler, Partner Programs manager at Siemens A&D at the ceremony for signing the
contract in China |
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The continuing and further education
and advisory service
at the Fujian innovation center
are focused on two related
and mutually beneficial main themes.
The first focus topic is school and lesson
development, which currently includes
fifteen subject areas ranging
from quality development in schools
and vocational training centers, to
teamwork, negotiating skills, curriculum
concepts, project and knowledge
management, through to career profiles
of modern careers. The second
topic, methodical further education in
specialist subjects, covers areas such as
further education modules and advice
on automation technology, processes
and process visualization, as well as
new organizational and work structures
in modern companies. |
 For Siemens A&D, the cooperation contract from Q3 2004 provides further evidence of its long-term commitment in China (see inset), as well as the unusually high value placed on education. Armin Mayer (representing Anton S. Huber), also stressed this in his speech: Further and continuing education have traditionally been held in very high regard in our company. In combination with the innovation center, Siemens A&D has granted the usual allowances for research/development and education facilities, and is supporting the installation and commissioning of the TIA labs. They also plan to provide training in the area of Totally Integrated Automation for Chinese instructors, who will then pass on the knowledge as voluntary teachers in the educational institutions. This training will take place at the Institute for academic further education and academic psychological counseling (IFB) in Speyer (Germany), with Siemens A&D funding the board and lodging for a total of 100 person days per year. The IFB is a long-standing partner of teacher education in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and is basing this project on its own model. Product and system training documentation for Totally Integrated Automation is included in the agreement as a part of free teacher development seminars, which have already proven successful in Germany.
SCE Cooperation in Europe
Partnership for Educational Success
Education is the basis for maintaining a competitive economy, and therefore for the cohesion of society in general. In this sense, education is a task for the whole community, and one in which every state also requires competent partners from the world of business. With its project "Siemens Automation Cooperates with Education",
known as SCE, Siemens A&D is meeting this responsibility to society and is currently collaborating successfully with culture ministries, education authorities, and higher
education institutes in several European countries.
Technical and vocational standards are constantly evolving, and the area of automation is no exception. To ensure that the level of education keeps up with modern demands, a successful partnership between state education providers and competent companies is in demand more than ever. With its range of activities and offerings within
the SCE project, Siemens A&D provides a sustainable and strategic foundation for this collaboration. Many culture ministers and higher education institutions throughout Europe have already declared their support for the concept by signing cooperation contracts. Since February 2004, further cooperation contracts have been agreed
with the German states of Hesse, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saarland, as well as with other European states and regions.
Successful Beginnings
Teacher development is an important
building block in the SCE concept. In
the last academic year alone, approximately
60 further education courses for
teachers were held in Germany, offering
training for up to 600 teachers. In
January 2005, the "Introduction to automation
technology" project was also
started at the Werner-von-Siemens
school in Hildesheim. In this project,
Siemens A&D is supporting schools by
inviting them to one-day training
courses throughout the year. The
courses offer up to 300 students the opportunity
to gain an insight into the
functionality, programming, and application
of the "Logo!" logic module.
From left to right:
Martin Feyahn,
Head of Siemens
A&D at
Saarbrücken,
Germany, Jürgen
Schreier, Minister
of Education,
Culture and
Science of
Saarland, and
Dr. Kayser, Head
of Siemens A&D
AS until the end
of 2004, signing
the cooperation
contract |
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Partner for Europe
The teacher training program is also
well underway outside of Germany.
Since September 2004, eight events
have been held in Switzerland in partnership
with the SIBP (Swiss Institute
for Education Science), providing training
for around 80 teachers. In France,
a total of nine training courses have
been held since the start of the current
financial year, at which 126 professors
have been brought up to speed with
the latest technology. |
In Austria, a total
of 17 seminars are planned for the academic
year 2004/2005, to add to the
250 teachers already trained in the previous
year. A "letter of intent" is also
scheduled to be signed with the Austrian
Federal Ministry for Education,
Science, and Culture, regarding the
plans of partners of Siemens A&D SCE
to hold teacher training courses.
In Italy, a new contract has been
signed with the Ministry of Culture in
collaboration with the regional institute
of educational research in Lombardy
(I.R.R.E.). Another new contract
has been agreed with the Polytechnic
University of Milan. The "Siemens SCE
Teaching the Future" project, which
was started in 2003, has so far provided
training for a total of 818 teachers at 29
training courses. In Spain, two new
contracts are soon to be agreed with
the education authorities of Navarra
and Castilla La Mancha. Together with
existing partners in Catalonia, three
training centers have been fitted with
Siemens educational equipment to the
value of 120,000. Approximately 500
teachers across Spain have benefited
from the training since the start of the
current financial year.
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