Building a pipeline of young talent

Deutsche Bank continues to ensure a steady pipeline of junior employees. In 2016, it hired 813 new graduates (compared with 766 in 2015) globally, who started their program with an orientation event in July. This reflects the bank’s ongoing commitment to building future talent. In addition to sessions with senior leaders and activities centered around Deutsche Bank’s corporate culture and values, the graduates also gained insights into the business divisions and infrastructure functions in various activities and workshops. Following the induction event, graduates went through a classroom-based training program for up to four weeks comprising project work, case studies and presentations. The share of female graduates in the 2016 class is 39% (compared to 37% in 2015). The classroom-based training is followed by a 12-month online continuous development program, anchored in the bank’s values and beliefs, providing graduates with the technical as well as professional skills to launch their careers successfully.

A major emphasis in graduate hiring is on technology roles, in line with Deutsche Bank’s strategic focus on digitization in all aspects of its value chain. 23% of the 2016 graduate class joined the bank’s technology functions, 40% of whom are female.

Talent acquisition

Deutsche Bank has increasingly used a “digital first” approach in attracting, assessing and developing graduates, incorporating new technologies, tools and thinking in the process. In so doing, the bank is addressing this particular target group in a way graduates are familiar with in their day-to-day lives, while at the same time responding to the need to significantly reduce costs. For instance, Deutsche Bank now uses a dedicated app to engage with graduates in the months prior to them joining the firm, enabling them to familiarize themselves with the bank’s strategy, development and culture and build a closer relationship with their future employer. In the UK, the bank also started a program to pro-actively identify and address university students whose social media profiles indicate they might be potential candidates for recruitment, but who would not be reached via more traditional channels, such as on-campus job fairs. This approach is also intended to be used in North America and Asia.

Overall, Deutsche Bank continued to expand its social media activities to inform about career opportunities and engage with potential employees. In 2016, it enjoyed the largest Twitter and second-largest Facebook career communities of all its global banking peers. As of year-end, it had 736,879 followers and fans across LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (2015: 627,000).

Dual vocational training at Deutsche Bank

Dual vocational training for high-school and middle-school graduates represents an additional source of junior talent – mainly in Germany – and forms part of Deutsche Bank’s commitment to developing young people and promoting the attractiveness of jobs in the banking sector. In Germany, the apprenticeship program consists of on-the-job training at the bank and learning modules provided by a vocational school (for dual trainees) or university (for dual students). Dual students graduate with a commercial degree and a bachelor’s degree upon successful completion. In addition to building capabilities for a specific professional role, apprentices are enabled to develop key soft skills and position themselves for a successful career.

The bank hired 741 new apprentices in 2016 (incl. Postbank, 2015: 863 apprentices). In turn, 419 young people who had completed their training were awarded permanent employment (2015: 475). Excluding Postbank, the rate of apprentices hired after completion was 52% (2015: 70%). The decrease in hiring of new apprentices and follow-on employment for apprentices is due to the firm’s ongoing restructuring in Germany. However, Deutsche Bank continues to provide apprenticeships beyond its own recruitment needs, as it is committed to offering high-quality education and career opportunities to young people.