Attraction and retention of talents

Our ‘employer of choice’ status continues to garner worldwide recognition and helps us to attract, retain and engage industry-leading talent to sustain the company’s success and growth. In 2020, adidas locations around the world leveraged our employer value proposition for attraction, retention and engagement strategies. Among professionals, this work contributed to top rankings, including Forbes’ ‘The World’s Best Employers 2020’ and Universum’s ‘World’s Most Attractive Employers’ rankings among business and IT students worldwide. adidas offices across Europe and Asia qualified for the certification by Top Employers Institute for their efforts to provide an exceptional work environment for our people. Among other things, the certification recognized the company’s Learning and Development Framework, which encourages different kinds of learning and the career management model.

We offer a range of entry-level programs to ensure future employees can have the best possible start, choose between a wide variety of learning opportunities, build on their strengths and improve their professional skills.

  • Apprenticeship and Dual Study Program: The adidas ‘Apprenticeship Program’ offers pupils who want to join our company directly out of school, the opportunity to gain business experience in a two- to three-year rotation program. In cooperation with various universities, the ‘Dual Study Program’ for young school graduates offers theoretical and practical experience at adidas, including at least one three- to six-month international rotation. In 2020, we offered programs in several business areas, such as digital e-commerce, digital media, finance, IT, retail, logistics, shoe finishing, textile laboratory or textile and fashion tailoring. At the end of 2020, we employed 49 apprentices in Germany (2019: 50) and 38 Dual Study Program students (2019: 49). As part of our ‘Integration Program’, we also hired diverse future talents in 2020, for instance students with disabilities.
  • Global Trainee Program: The ‘Functional, Digital and Design Trainee Program’ is an 18- to 24-month program providing graduates with an international background and excellent educational credentials the opportunity to start a functional career within adidas. At year-end 2020, we employed 38 participants in our Global Trainee Program (2019: 67).
  • Internships: Our internship program offers students three to six months of work experience within adidas. In 2020, we employed 114 interns in Germany (2019: 216).

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