Porsche paves way for new batch of Service Mechatronics
It took a lot of analysis and soul-searching before Porsche AG decided in November 2007 to set up in the Philippines the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia (PTRCA), the first of its kind outside the headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, in partnership with the Don Bosco Technical Institute.
The contract between Porsche, Don Bosco and the Philippines’ Porsche distributor PGA Cars was signed on Dec. 13, 2007, and the first batch of graduates was produced in 2008.
It has been five years since operations started and Porsche AG and the dealers around the world that are reaping the benefits of the training institute are one in saying that the PTRCA has achieved more than what was thought possible.
As Wolfgang Goepfert, director for aftersales market support of Porsche AG, said, PTRCA is a “groundbreaking success story.”
“Henry Ford said, ‘Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success.’ And we succeeded in this process,” Goepfert said during the recent graduation ceremony of the 10th batch of graduates of the training center.
“The enormous success enjoyed by the graduates and the positive feedback from Porsche centers are proof that the decision to set up the PTRCA in the Philippines in partnership with the Don Bosco Technical Institute and our Porsche importer PGA Cars was indeed the right one and will continue to have a positive effect well into the future,” he stressed.
Goepfert said that Porsche AG chose to set up the training center in the Philippines because of the skills of the Filipinos, their solid education, English skills and the fact that the young talents taken in by the center are highly motivated to do a good job.
They are what the company is searching for, he said, to meet the increasing demand for highly skilled Porsche Service Mechatronics in emerging markets.
Porsche Service Mechatronics are highly prized considering the value of the Porsche sports luxury vehicles. The customers demand only the highest service on their vehicles, in keeping with the reputation for high quality that the Porsche brand represents.
Goepfert said that the Porsche Mechatronics specialists produced by the center are more than able to mach the requirements of the Porsche global network.
“The excellent training provided by the PTRCA leads to an increase of efficiency as the [Mechatronics] are trained according to the international Porsche standards and best practice guidelines. Therefore, the graduates are fully prepared for their new workplace and [prove that] dreams can become reality,” he said.
The main objective of the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center is to train and educate Porsche Service Mechatronics who can support the international Porsche dealer network.
At the same time, the graduates who come from low-income families get the longed-for chance to have a better future to support themselves and their families.
“This initiative is of enormous value and is a win-win-situation for all,” he said.
“Porsche makes an example with the PTRCA concept as it is the first facility of its kind worldwide. Since we noticed valuable results, we are currently working on a project in China, the so-called Sino-German Automotive Vocational Education, SGAVE; and many companies copy this concept since this model is a leading example for international social commitment and sustainable growth with the support of underprivileged young people who have the possibility to lay the foundations for a better future for themselves and their families,” Goepfert said.
“That’s why we are proud that companies are copying our concept and that our model states a pioneer project,” he added.
To become Porsche Mechatronics, the students go through an intensive nine-month training on both theoretical and practical work. They also take English and communication lessons to prepare them better for their role as Porsche technicians.
This holistic training comes in handy as most of the graduates are deployed abroad, mainly to the Middle East where demand for Porsche continues to grow.
For his part, PGA Cars chair Robert Coyiuto Jr., who was instrumental in convincing Porsche AG to set up the training institute in the Philippines, urged the latest batch of graduates to make the Philippines and the training center proud as they go about their work here and abroad.
“Make us all proud of you; make the Filipino people proud of you. This is just the beginning of your journey to success and where better to start than Porsche,” Coyiuto said.
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