Conti to Hire 1,000 Graduates

This year again, Continental AG is taking on well over 1,000 highly qualified graduates and young professionals throughout the world, around 500 of them in Germany. “We invest in knowledge and innovation, especially the skills and talent brought by new employees, with the objective of further consolidating our position as one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers”, states Thomas Sattelberger, Human Resources Director at Continental. The company primarily recruits engineers and scientists as well as management and administrative experts. As in previous years, more than 800 workplaces are to be filled with university graduates in 2006, around 40 percent of them in Germany.

“As previously, our core objectives have focused on further strengthening our innova¬tive capabilities. After announcing the acquisition of Motorola’s automotive electronics business, Continental will have more than 6,000 employees in research and development; a trend set to develop further“, stressed Sattelberger. “That means we can create the conditions ena¬bling us to remain in a leading position among the international competition with highly inno¬vative products and hence achieve additional value creation.”

Sattelberger also pointed out that Continental applies for an average of 1,300 patents each year. ABS systems, the electronic stability program ESP, distance sensors (radar/infrared), tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), fuel-saving high-tech tyres or completely emission-free hose systems are just some of the innovations developed by the company.

The research and development divisions of Continental for example are currently working on the integration of active and passive safety systems in cars. An important new component here will be state-of-the-art telematic systems. “We are very proud of the fact that the acqui¬sition of the automobile electronics business of Motorola will allow us to create a further core competence with telematics. That will surely make Continental even more attractive as an employer for engineers and scientists“, stated Sattelberger.