As the automotive industry shifts gears to electric vehicles (EVs), new skills in areas such as AI, machine learning, battery management and high-voltage systems engineering will be crucial, says BMW.
The luxury car maker has ceased production of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles at its Munich plant, which now only makes EVs. However, it still produces ICE vehicles in South Africa and other markets.
Last year it opened a campus in Munich to serve as a central hub for training and development for all its employees. Since 2022, the company has invested more than €1bn (about R20bn) in vocational training and continuing education staff.
About 40,000 employees will receive training at the Munich site each year, including 900 apprentices and work-experience students. Courses on offer include e-mobility, digitalisation, data analytics and AI.
BMW Group recognises the growing need for new skills ... The company responds to this shifting landscape by proactively developing and transforming employee competencies, ensuring its workforce remains future-ready.”
— Raeesa Lala, BMW South Africa’s head of training & development
BMW South Africa’s head of training & development, Raeesa Lala, said: “As the automotive industry undergoes rapid technological change, BMW Group recognises the growing need for new skills — particularly in electrics and electronics, electromobility, digitalisation, AI and agile working methods. The company responds to this shifting landscape by proactively developing and transforming employee competencies, ensuring its workforce remains future-ready.”
BMW South Africa opened a technical training academy at its assembly plant in Rosslyn, north of Pretoria, more than 45 years ago. Since then, it says “well-trained and skilled apprentices” have gone on to formal employment at BMW and elsewhere.
Employees at the Rosslyn plant have access to a wide range of educational and development programmes, including a vocational training programme and student and graduate programmes.
Lala said there had long been a mismatch between the skills required in the labour market and the skills that job-seekers actually had.
“The effort made in designing an education architecture that addresses this is one step, but the key activator to bridge the gap is workplace readiness,” she said. BMW South Africa’s training and development strategy aimed to provide practical, hands-on workplace exposure.
More than 1,300 people have formally qualified through the BMW South Africa training academy. “Efforts continue to increase female representation and adjust the gender imbalance in the industry,” Lala said.
Other hi-tech specialisations and skills required by the modern auto industry include:
- robotics and automation;
- battery and power electronics;
- cloud and DevOps (development and operations); and
- platform architects.
The future jobs and skills BMW will require and prioritise reflect the group’s transition “from a traditional automotive manufacturer to a software-defined mobility and advanced engineering company”, Lala added.
“As the world of mobility evolves, so do the skills required to shape it.”
• Mochiko was a guest of BMW in Munich, Germany.
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