Recruiting, Education and Training

In order to succeed in a dynamic industry environment in the long term, it is particularly important to ProSiebenSat.1 Group that its employees continue to develop. We invest purposefully in the development, education and training of our employees — regardless of their level in the hierarchy. For this purpose, there are training measures that apply throughout the Group to help colleagues with and without management responsibility to acquire new knowledge and skills.

In 2015, ProSiebenSat.1 further increased its budget in this area: In the past financial year, ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s investments in education and training programs rose to EUR 3.6 million (previous year: EUR 3.0 million). A portion of the investments went on the ProSiebenSat.1 Academy as a central provider of training courses for employees and managers. The number of Academy events increased to 750 (previous year: 561); the number of participants rose by 16.4 %. In total, 6,945 participants made use of training offers (previous year: 5,965).

The various seminars on professional and personal development are derived from the corporate strategy and aligned to the qualification requirements of ProSiebenSat.1 employees. The range on offer includes events such as “Lunch & Learn” and “Guest Speaker,” at which we regularly present analyses of trends and developments in the media and entertainment industry. Since the line that divides TV and the Internet is becoming increasingly blurred, we need employees that understand both TV and our digital business areas. We promote networking among employees just as much as their higher-level technical expertise. Therefore, the Academy focuses in particular on digital issues: The Company offers training courses such as “Digital Economy,” “E-Commerce & Online Marketing” and “Lean Start-Up for User Experience.” The objective is that employees understand digital megatrends and the latest technologies and that they estimate the importance for our industry, in order to develop new products and business models. In addition, the Group strengthens its employees’ innovative power with various instruments such as Learning Expeditions.

Moreover, there is mandatory e-learning training for every employee with regard to “compliance,” “data protection”, and “antitrust law.” In addition, there is special training for ProSiebenSat.1 employees with journalistic roles in editorial teams. The training is part of the “Factual Academy” initiated in 2015. At the Factual Academy, all ProSiebenSat.1 employees with editorial roles are trained in “compliance,” “press law”, and “youth protection for Factual” in two-hour sessions. This training is mandatory for all editors.

We consider it very important that our managers also continuously enhance their skills. ProSiebenSat.1 Group is undergoing the greatest transformation process in its history. In this environment, our Group needs managers that can deal with complexity and lead employees through change processes. They must be able to think in an entrepreneurial manner, encourage employees to innovate, and make decisions quickly. ProSiebenSat.1 supports them in this with its own manager development program. Every new manager takes the modules “New Leader,” “Performance,” “Team,” “Self-Management,” and “Digital Leader.” In 2015, a total of 451 managers took part in the development offers (previous year: 219).

In addition to employee training, it is important for ProSiebenSat.1 to gain new, highly qualified talents as part of the growth strategy. The Group therefore continuously grooms qualified junior staff through various apprenticeships that are tailored specifically to the Group’s requirements. These include management trainees, trainees, and apprentices. This will allow us to counter a skills shortage in our Group. In 2015, ProSiebenSat.1 had a total of 24 apprentices, 53 management trainees, 65 trainees, and nine dual-track students.

Furthermore, the Company is continuously developing its various recruiting approaches: The digital methods include its own career portal as the central platform. In December 2014, ProSiebenSat.1 also introduced the electronic job recommendation program Talentry, which turns employees in the Group into recruiters: They are able to recommend appropriate candidates for vacancies and receive a bonus if the recommendation is a success. Additionally, ProSiebenSat.1 uses social media channels such as Facebook to approach talented individuals. In total, the number of applications in Germany rose to 37,700 in 2015 (previous year: 34,000).