GRI 404/3-3

We offer our employees the opportunity to develop professionally in a dynamic international environment. Our four business segments use different concepts and measures for personnel development – depending on their own customer and market structures. They constantly adapt their approaches to current trends and requirements. In ­addition to Group-wide mandatory training courses on the respective Codes of Conduct, there are mandatory training courses on quality management, environmental management, and occupational health and safety in the business segments. Digitalization is also playing an increasingly important role in the daily work done by our employees, which we explain in the following. Segment-specific talent management and individual further training offerings for employees and managers are our other personnel development measures.

Vocational training

Vocational training is very important to us. This is why we offer applicants many opportunities to start their career pathways in our company. In 2022, more than 6,300 young people were doing dual vocational training and/or dual study at our locations in Germany. Across the Group, we offered 44 posts requiring formal training and 33 dual degree programs. Compared to the 2021 training year, the Group’s range of training opportunities was expanded once again. The dual study program in Sustainable Science and Technology with the study directions Occupational Safety or Environmental Protection Technology, and Business Administration Insurance, as well as the training program for Insurance and Finance were offered for the first time. The classic direct-entry route aside, Fresenius also offers graduates trainee programs for further professional ­orientation.

For explanations of vocational training in Spain, see the Recruitment section.

Digitalization of the training offered

Driven in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, Fresenius’ development and training offerings have been digitalized to a large extent in recent years. Numerous employee development measures and mandatory training courses are now held regularly as webinars or e-learning courses. Among other things, this enables fast and up-to-date, tailored­­ ­training courses, e. g. in the area of hygiene, which is particularly important during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some formats are less effective if only offered in digital form, so training for certain topics was conducted in hybrid form or entirely in person again in 2022, if the pandemic situation permitted to do so. In particular, interaction-oriented modules of the programs for new executives were conducted in person. The organization of digital learning opportunities takes place mainly on the learning platforms of the business segments or is carried out by the Group function Corporate HR Management. Employees in Germany who do not have their own computer or laptop, or who do not have a quiet work environment, can take the training courses they need at specially set up learning locations. The platforms enable documentation of participation in training measures and success checks, for example through final tests.

Leadership development

We offer two Group-wide programs to our executives. Working together with the Harvard Business School, we focus on the concept of Maximizing Leadership Impact among holders of top management positions in order to increase their effectiveness. In a leadership program that targets middle to upper management and is run in conjunction with the University of St. Gallen, we focus on strategy implementation and change management.

Additionally, the business segments have developed market-specific development programs for executives.

Fresenius Medical Care

The business segment has introduced online learning platforms that allow employees to pursue their career goals and interests in a self-directed manner. For example, the Advanced Renal Education Program provides employees with access to courses on topics such as chronic kidney disease and home dialysisDialysisForm ​of ​renal ​replacement ​therapy ​where ​a ​semipermeable ​membrane ​– ​in ​peritoneal ​dialysis ​the ​peritoneum ​of ​the ​patient, ​in ​hemo­ ​dialysis ​the ​membrane ​of ​the ​dialyzer ​– ​is ​used ​to ​clean ​a ​patient’s ​blood.. Fresenius Medical Care aims to continuously increase participation in the digital learning schemes. In this context, the company has developed a global learning measurement strategy that aims to improve learner experience and drive employee engagement. In 2022, more than 16,000 employees participated in self-directed courses on the digital platforms. Furthermore, through the learning management system, some 156,000 users worldwide participated in training courses on topics such as compliance, leadership, and health and safety. In addition, Fresenius Medical Care provided certain emp­loyee groups with specific training. In the U.S. alone, 9,500 leaders have completed our regional leadership development program since 2014.

Fresenius Kabi

Fresenius Kabi has global, regional, and local structures for training and developing employees. Employees are trained and qualified according to their functions and responsibilities. Mandatory global training for employees is carried out internally. This includes, for example, training on the Code of Conduct.

All employees who are directly involved in production, as well as employees who work in a supporting role (e. g., technical maintenance, IT) receive mandatory training in job­-related good manufacturing, control, and distribution ­practice and in occupational health and safety and environmental protection.

In addition, occupational health and safety and environmental and energy management training is conducted at all certified sites. Further training supplements this and serves to support the introduction, further development, and improvement of the corresponding management systems and measures.

As part of talent management at Fresenius Kabi, postings to other countries are also used to promote professional and personal development. These comprise both long- and short-term postings, which also contribute to meeting ­specific staffing needs.

Furthermore, to improve Fresenius Kabi’s succession planning, the business segment has introduced a new process. The Management Board regularly reviews defined key functions of the business segment regarding succession and development opportunities.

A Group-wide New Leaders Program is a targeted development measure to support employees in their first leadership role. Since May 2021, 40 participants from Fresenius Kabi have taken part in the program. Experienced leaders also get the opportunity to reflect on, improve, and refresh their leadership skills. Furthermore, the Step leadership development program for executives in the ­management board area of the Chief Operating Officer (COO), which was launched in 2021, was continued in the ­reporting year 2022.

Fresenius Helios

Employee training and development activities help Fresenius Helios achieve its strategic business objectives: to offer the best service, to be a leader in medicine, to do sustainable business, and to expand on its market position. These will enable Fresenius Helios to further improve with regard to medical quality and to position itself as an attractive employer at the same time. Training budgets, along with regular employee and career interviews, are therefore firmly anchored at Fresenius Helios.

Especially in the nursing sector, the demand for skilled workers has continued to increase over the past few years. For this reason, Fresenius Helios intends to acquire a large proportion of the necessary nursing personnel through in-company training or training cooperations. In Germany, the business segment has 34 own training centers. At the Helios Academy, in the training centers and in other country-specific training programs offered by Fresenius Helios, employees can learn, train, and further develop their expertise – in professional and personal skills.

In Spain, the business segment focuses on cooperations with universities and also operates university hospitals and training facilities itself. In contrast to Germany, where nurses receive vocational education and training, Spanish nurses are educated at universities, as described in the Recruitment section. In Spain, more than 5,000 students are trained annually by experts; they acquire practical skills during their undergraduate and postgraduate training. The division also has 8­ ­university hospitals where the classroom-based content of a medical school is taught and more than 400 medical staff are fully trained each year. In its two nursing schools, Helios Spain covers classroom and hands-on training as well as vocational training; for example, to qualify students as Imaging Technicians for Diagnosis and Nuclear Medicine and Technicians in Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry.

Fresenius Vamed

Fresenius Vamed’s training program is designed to cover the heterogeneous training needs that exist due to the complex structure of the business segment. As part of its strategic personnel planning, Fresenius Vamed identifies young employees with particular potential and promotes their individual development. This is done via trainee programs and in the VAMED Human Capital Management (HCM) Program, which prepares employees with potential to take on leadership and specialist roles.

All employees are free to use Fresenius Vamed's own Academy. Their courses and training cover not only specific professional issues, but also topics such as personal development and leadership, interpersonal skills, and methodological expertise. Various knowledge platforms, such as the International Medical Board (IMB), also pool the know-how of the healthcare professionals working for Fresenius Vamed.

Fresenius Corporate

At Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, training opportunities are available to all employees. These include seminars for comm­unication and presentation, self-management, and project management, as well as specific learning content depending on the job profile of the target group of employees. A mandatory qualification program has been established for new managers to support the leadership and feedback culture. Mandatory training courses on compliance, cybersecurity or occupational safety are rolled out on an annual basis as a minimum.