Mercedes Benz’s Australia-Pacific branch will launch its own transport scholarship program to beat skills shortages and give staff the opportunity
Mercedes Benz’s Australia-Pacific branch will launch its own transport scholarship program to beat skills shortages and give staff the opportunity to grow their careers.
The Rising Stars program gives 15 of the company’s parts and services staff to gain a nationally recognised Diploma of Management from the Australian Institute of Management.
The 18-month long course, fully funded by Mercedes Benz to begin January 2009, is designed to give participants the skills and knowledge to gain internal promotions, in turn retaining qualified staff by mentoring to management positions.
“It’s a professional development program aimed, for example, at someone who might have always been assistant parts manager but never been able to quantify and validate their skills into a formal qualification so they could apply for a parts manager job,” Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific General Manager Vince King says.
In light of the high turnover in retail sectors, Mercedes Benz says it saw the need to develop the program.
The company says Rising Stars will also help dealerships implement effective succession planning methods because they will be able to promote staff from within.
The course includes training modules focused on a range of areas including managing people and performance, communication and teamwork, problem solving, harnessing new technology and leadership in the workplace.
The training will use case studies relevant to Mercedes Benz and the transport industry to give participants the necessary information to implement in their workplace.