Salzgitter International Training Program – Newsletter Module 3

Wesel, February 2015: Young professionals from the whole Salzgitter Group met again for the third and last time (read more about the first and second time) in order to complete the Salzgitter International Training Program (SITP) 2014. The SITP consists of 3 different modules of 4 or 5 days each. The common target of the SITP group is to work on its soft skills (e.g. teambuilding), to get to know new working techniques (e.g. setting priorities and planning effectively) and, last but not least, to increase intercultural awareness and self reflection. Here is what they learned.

Dear All,

After two weeks of training on a wide variety of topics and another few months to practice what we had learned, the SITP team reunited for our final week of training in Wesel from February 17 to 20, 2015. That week brought with it the biggest and most important part of the program – the Development Center. We each had the chance to demonstrate what we learned during the first two weeks of the program to a panel of observers, and despite the assurances of the trainers that they had nothing to worry about, there is always a certain amount of nervousness that comes with a task like this.

Module III opened with a day focused on Project Management. This was a topic that we had varying levels of experience with, some very little to none and some a significant amount. The key topics covered during the day included general roles and responsibilities of project managers, development of project plans, the importance of well-defined work packages and setting milestones, and the key dynamics in selecting a suitable project team.

We split up into mock project groups to practise some of these steps, and then came back together to explore the needs and requirements that project managers and team members have of each other.

With the conceptual part of the program completed, Day 2 of the third module signalled the beginning of the Development Center. Faced with a busy schedule of challenging assignments and teams of observers spread across multiple presentation rooms, we SITP team members took turns putting the lessons we have learned to the test in a number of different business simulations. The emphasis was on key program topics like effective communication and presentation styles, working in teams, conflict resolution, as well as giving and receiving feedback. Between assignments, good time and self-management skills were important to make sure we were fully prepared for our next task. It was indeed a challenging day for everybody, participants and observers, but also a successful one!

Day 3 was the official end of the Development Center, with each of us making one final presentation. This one was related to our current jobs and companies, so the change to a familiar topic made things less stressful. Once that was completed, the team headed off to another plant tour of the plate rolling facility in Mülheim while the observers gathered to review and organise their feedback for each participant. (more)