Number of employees at HOCHTIEF
were major contracts in the Asia Pacific division and acquisitions within the Services division.
High level of trainee numbers
In the year under review, HOCHTIEF had a total of 521 trainees in 31 different professions in Germany, 187 of whom began their training in 2008. Thus, the number of trainees increased compared to the prior year and we continued to train young people beyond current demand in order to give more of them a better qualified start to their working lives. Following their traineeship, 72 percent of trainees were hired in the year under review and twelve trainees took up a course of study. We generally attach great importance to providing our future employees with sound training ourselves.Staff development as key to success
In order to grow sustainably, a company needs highly qualified employees with a high level of personal development. We are well aware of this and act accordingly, working continuously to improve staff development. This benefits not just the company: It offers employees the opportunity for continuous development, both personally and professionally, and to make attractive career choices.HOCHTIEF increased its expenditure on training and continuing education again in the year under review in order to go on motivating our employees to perform at their best and offer our clients groundbreaking solutions. Employees' willingness to take advantage of these offerings rose again in 2008, with the number of participants increasing by around 14.5 percent.
HOCHTIEF Academy program expanded
All of our measures and tools for employee and management development are consolidated under the auspices of the HOCHTIEF Academy in an end-to-end training program. This in-house facility provides in-service continuing education for industrial and technical employees as well as externalstudents. In the year under review, for instance, eleven graduates were awarded the officially recognized title of "Bachelor of Engineering – Construction Site Management." In 2008, we expanded our offering to include the "Bachelor of Facility Management" degree program. The continuing education program is complemented by additional areas of cooperation with renowned universities. For example, our Australian subsidiary Leighton and its subsidiary Thiess work with the University of Queensland, thereby offering their employees comparable continuing education opportunities.
Our US subsidiary pursues similar goals with Turner University. Turner has, for example, set up an online learning platform with development and training programs specific to professional groups on areas such as quality management or financing. We plan to make this platform available to all Group employees worldwide.
