ABB intended to broaden the personal as well as cultural horizon of both the trainees as well as training officers. Several subsidiaries have been set up abroad, e.g. in Bulgaria. In order to strengthen the connection to the company in terms of corporate identity, we bank on personal contacts. We benefit strongly from such contacts when conducting crosscultural and crossfunctional projects that have become more and more important. We have noted that especially young people do find it harder to leave their home base and try something new. The world "out there" has become virtually and digitally accessible without travelling physically. It is essential for us to be changing this attitude to open perspectives to trying out new and unaccustomed things.
ABB plc is an international and globally acting company having a great demand for highly-skilled labour that need to bring a decent degree of mobility. Participating in the Erasmus programme is of paramount importance. On the one hand, it is very important to educate and train workers to be mobile and flexible, so they are willing to embark on a future assignment abroad and buildung up a stable international network. On the other hand, the option of doing an Erasmus mobility turns ABB into an attractive vocational company and employer which in the end increases ABB's competitiveness in the war for talents. For more than two decades, ABB has made Erasmus a constant part in the vocational training plan that we do not want to do without.