MBM president, chief executive officer, and South East Asia II region head Sagree Sardien (second from left) said this collaboration will expose students to social and organizational competencies which will drive service excellence the Mercedes-Benz way.
MBM president, chief executive officer, and South East Asia II region head Sagree Sardien (second from left) said this collaboration will expose students to social and organizational competencies which will drive service excellence the Mercedes-Benz way.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) and Montfort Boys Town from Shah Alam signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in regards to the automaker's internationally known Advanced Modern Apprenticeship programme.

Through education and commitment via recruitment and incubation of secondary students, the two-year MoU kicks off with activities such as 'Train the Trainer' where MBM will provide technical skills and expertise training on current Mercedes-Benz models to the Montfort Boys Town trainers who will then transfer the knowledge and skills to the students.

This training curriculum aims to expose and prepare interested students to the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship programme that is available upon their secondary school completion.

An annual pre-enrolment assessment will be conducted for the students of Montfort Boys Town where those who successfully pass will be able to apply for the apprenticeship programme.

MBM president, chief executive officer, and South East Asia II region head Sagree Sardien said this collaboration will expose students to social and organizational competencies which will drive service excellence the Mercedes-Benz way.

"MBM is committed to the development of our future workforce and we want to cultivate, develop and attract talent at an early age.

"As part of our education pillar, we see a great opportunity to nurture and invest in these young talents who aspire to have a career in the automotive industry as globally certified technicians," she added.

Honoured and privileged to be part of this programme, Montfort Boys Town director Brother Robin Devasagayam strongly believes the new training curriculum will add depth and broaden the horizons of the students as they pave their future careers.

"We thank Mercedes-Benz for choosing to work with us and we will strive to ensure a fruitful collaboration for many years to come for our future generation," he added.

The Advanced Modern Apprenticeship by MBM's Training Academy programme is a three-year apprenticeship course that covers a wide range of globally approved syllabuses and training guidelines by Mercedes-Benz Global Training with Mercedes-Benz Competence elements.

The programme incorporates International Qualifications up to Level 3 and is recognised by the skills development department under the Human Resources Ministry.

Students who successfully enrol in the apprenticeship will receive a full scholarship and be a full-time trainee under MBM.

They will receive a monthly allowance of RM800 throughout the three-year programme and is guaranteed employment upon graduation with minimum salary in the first year.

Graduates will also have more opportunities thereafter with Mercedes-Benz where they can progress into management positions within the customer services department after completion of their diagnostic level qualifications.

A new profile for Electric Vehicle Specialists known as Expert in High Voltage (EHV) was developed by Mercedes-Benz as part of the brand's strategy and global direction to lead in electric.

This new syllabus which will be introduced starting with the 2022 intake will be added on the existing modules as part of the brand's efforts to train and equip talents to be future-ready for the demands of mobility of tomorrow.

The programme's graduation class of 2021 and 2022 saw a combined total of 99 trainees complete their training and are now globally certified technicians.

Two students were presented the Best Student Award having excelled in every aspect over the three-year course which includes punctuality, work efficiency, proper use of tools, knowledge, safety consciousness, behaviour, interpersonal skills, work attitude and responsibility in their respective years.

More than 900 apprentices since 1984 have graduated from MBM's Training Academy which works with the brand's authorised dealer network in various positions across different specializations.

MBM says that the programme has a minimum of 60 students per-enrollment period with an estimated RM100,000 of cost investment per-student over the course of the apprenticeship.