Girls Make up More Than Half of the Volvo Step’s Student Group This Year

GÖTEBORG, Sweden--Nove 11, 2013: More than half of the participants in this year’s Volvo Step – the Volvo Group’s (STO:VOLVA)(STO:VOLVB) one-year vocational programme in industrial production – are girls. 400 unemployed youngsters aged 18 to 22 have the chance of paid training as the Volvo Step gets under way for the second consecutive year.

“It is very gratifying that so many girls want to take part in the Volvo Step, especially bearing in mind our aim of increasing the number of women working in manufacturing industries”

“It is very gratifying that so many girls want to take part in the Volvo Step, especially bearing in mind our aim of increasing the number of women working in manufacturing industries,” says Olof Persson, President and CEO of the Volvo Group.

The second phase of the training programme started on November 4 at thirteen factories and other facilities in Sweden. More than half of the participants, 52 per cent, are girls. The Volvo Step combines theoretical education with practical training and offers temporary employment for one year, with union-negotiated wages for all participants. The aim of the Volvo Step is to provide young people with an education so that they acquire the right competence and experience for jobs in production, either within the Volvo Group or outside.

After completing their training, the participants get a diploma to verify their qualifications. The Volvo Step does not guarantee a job within the Volvo Group, but the programme does offer a solid basis for a future profession in industry.

The first batch of Volvo Step participants graduated on October 25. About 50 of them were offered jobs at AB Volvo, with a further 25 or so receiving jobs in the Group via manpower agencies.

“The Volvo Step is a long-term investment for Volvo Group and it has three main aims: to secure the long-term availability of competence, attract young people to jobs in industry, and do something positive about youth unemployment,” says Olof Persson. “We hope to see many of our Volvo Step participants working in industry in the future, and the fact that several have already been hired by our company is naturally a great source of satisfaction.”

The Volvo Step got under way in autumn 2012 and is a three-year project that will give a total of 1,200 young people the opportunity to receive paid vocational training lasting one year. All in all, the project represents an investment of 450 million kronor for the Volvo Group. Read more at Volvo Step