This in-house development program awarded a prize in 2002 offers graduates with a diploma or a master's degree a variety of possibilities for their personal and professional development.

The development program lasts for 18 months and is organised according to the following crucial points:

• Top managers define the company's future scope of duties which ought to be taken up by the graduates after successfully participating in the program. The managers continuously coach the graduates as personal mentors during the whole program.
• The graduates prepare for these tasks by assisting with major projects of the company thus contributing actively to the success of the company from the very start.
• The owner of the project appraises the added value of the graduates to the projects thus giving a final control of the success.
• The graduates learn with the actual challenges and further develop their professional, personal and entrepreneurial abilities. A project coaching as well as the interdisciplinary exchange between the participants supports this process furthermore.

Heidelberg is looking for genuine personalities to join the "Graduate Development Program", who are able to move safely in economic areas of conflict and have experience in the realization of projects. The graduates should be able to clearly recognize, actively take up and position strategies and structures with the company.