A future without digitization has long been unthinkable, neither in private nor at work. That is why Deutsche Telekom places a clear focus on the requirements of the digitalized world of work in the further development of its employees. We offer individual training and development opportunities, create jobs in growth areas and develop the skills of our employees in a targeted manner. We also deal with the topic of employee development in detail in our HR Factbook 2025.
Milestones achieved, ongoing projects and goals
We want to anticipate technological trends at an early stage and promote a culture of continuous learning within the company. To this end, we are constantly creating new offers for our employees. Our goal is to support the transformation of professional skills, especially because digital expertise, in particular AI, is becoming increasingly relevant.
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Where we come from
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Launch of the digital learning platform Magenta MOOC (Massive Open Online Course). In addition to the transfer of knowledge by video lecturers, the focus is primarily on virtual collaboration between participants in small teams.
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With the “youlearn” initiative, we developed Deutsche Telekom into a learning organization. At the same time, we increasingly switched our training to digital learning.
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By the end of 2020, we had held around 3,000 sessions as part of our employee initiative “Learning from Experts” (LEX).
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For the first time, we determined the proportion of digital experts in our Group (excluding T‑Mobile US): 13.2 %. At the same time, we set ourselves the goal of increasing the value to 17 % by 2024 and took steps to create the necessary framework conditions for the acquisition of digital skills in our company.
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Offer of so-called Explorer Journeys: These programs are intended to prepare as many employees as possible for future skill requirements in the areas of big data, digital marketing, artificial intelligence (AI) and software development.
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66,000 employees took part in training courses on AI.
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Over 15,000 employees took part in the Explorer Journeys.
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We trained 30,000 internal users on how to use AI effectively (prompting skills).
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The proportion of digital experts among our employees (excluding T‑Mobile US) rose to 22.7 %, significantly exceeding our original target of 17 % by 2024.
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We launched the Telekom Sustainability Campus: Web-based training courses are intended to familiarize our employees with challenges, tools and solutions in the field of sustainability.
Where we stand in the reporting year
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We expand our offerings for dealing with AI: 30,000 employees acquire prompting skills as a standard competence. This allows us to increase the efficiency of our workflows, especially in areas such as HR and finance. We also train our teams specifically on how to make the most of internal AI tools.
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LEX is being expanded: With over 6,500 sessions, we promote the continuous exchange of knowledge and record 52,000 participations in sessions on the topic of AI alone.
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Our digital learning offerings are firmly anchored in everyday work: 47,000 active users regularly use our “Percipio” learning platform, and the number of digital qualification days per employee increased from 3.2 to 3.5 compared to 2024 – thus strengthening “Percipio” as a central learning ecosystem and thus creating an integrated, scalable learning environment for the Group.
Where we want to go
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The productive use of AI is to be anchored in everyday work: 90 % of our employees (excluding T‑Mobile US) are to use AI tools regularly.
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We want to further increase the proportion of digital experts to 25 to 30 % by 2027.
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We want to achieve complete AI competence in the Group: 100 % of our employees (excluding T‑Mobile US) should have the necessary skills to use AI confidently, responsibly and in a way that adds value.
Our approach
For more information on our progress in advancing digital expertise, please visit the
HR Factbook 2025We promote lifelong learning and accompany our employees on their individual learning path. In the reporting year, we strategically developed the approach to lifelong learning and aligned it more closely with our Group strategy. For example, we have expanded the “Percipio” learning platform.
Teaching technical and digital skills is at the heart of our qualification strategy. Various programs help to expand our own candidate pool – including the Explorer Journeys: They equip employees with knowledge and skills, e.g., around AI, software development or digital marketing.
We support young people in entering the world of work through comprehensive technical and commercial training and dual study programs. With “Bologna@Telekom”, we also enable our employees in Germany to complete bachelor’s and master’s degree programs alongside their jobs.
Approaching training and development individually
You can find out more about our learning culture in the
HR Factbook 2025Our employees can largely manage their further training themselves with the help of digital learning opportunities and integrate it into their everyday working life.
On our learning platform “Percipio”, all full- and part-time employees of Deutsche Telekom (with the exception of T‑Mobile US) can access educational offers, including training materials for online courses at university level, anytime and anywhere via desktop or app. T‑Mobile US provides its employees with alternative training opportunities.
Another example of self-determined and self-organized learning is our employee initiative “Learning from Experts” (LEX). Experts from the Group pass on their knowledge to their colleagues in various ways. In the reporting year, our experts conducted over 6,500 LEX sessions with over 52,000 participants.
Progress 2025 (excluding T-Mobile US)
94 % of the training courses that could be booked throughout the Group were available digitally.
Employees invested an average of 4.8 training days in their own training.
The proportion of digitally conducted qualification days was 70 %.
Identifying needs and expanding skills: skill management
We want to align our learning and development opportunities with the knowledge and skills of our employees. In doing so, we are pursuing the goal of becoming a “skill-based organization”. We can use an intelligent tool to identify skills gaps as part of our skill management and provide our employees with targeted training. Suitable learning opportunities and clearly defined target profiles support personal development. After a pilot phase lasting several years, we have been applying skill management throughout the Group and across divisions since 2023 (Deutsche Telekom without T‑Mobile US). So far, around 70,000 employees have successfully completed the skill management process.
In 2025, we anchored the AI-based platform “growth hub” centrally in personnel development. It bundles processes such as recruiting, skill, talent and resource management and offers personalized development offers, including jobs, training, projects, talent programs as well as mentoring or experience days. At the official launch in November 2025, 110,000 users were registered. In 2026, the services will be gradually expanded to other units globally.
T‑Systems: competencies for the digital future
With “HerCode”, T‑Systems launched a targeted support program for female IT talents in 2025. Twelve participants were selected from 40 applicants from nine countries, who will go through a structured development journey with training, coaching, mentoring and global networking within 12 to 18 months.
In addition, since 2023, Talents@T‑Systems has been the first global talent initiative to annually support selected talents worldwide on the basis of transparent criteria and uniform governance. Impact measurements show a high level of satisfaction, faster career progress and significantly higher internal mobility: around 40 % of talents achieve measurable development steps within a year.
With the Career & Growth Day 2025, T‑Systems also set an example for transparent career development: Around 4,000 employees worldwide were given insights into career paths, development opportunities and future prospects. Supplementary specials deepened these impulses in the course of the year.
Training sustainability
In 2024, the “Deutsche Telekom Sustainability Campus” started with web-based training courses on ESG (environmental, social, governance) aspects for our employees. In our segments, our own continuing education programs complement the portfolio. One learning opportunity in this context is called “Climate Fresk”: Since 2024, ten trained moderators have been offering online workshops on climate change for all employees. In addition, T‑Systems developed a training program on “Green IT” in 2024 in collaboration with external partners such as universities. The aim is to provide employees with knowledge of ecological aspects in the development of IT solutions. Sustainability issues are also an integral part of onboarding at T‑Systems: New employees learn about the sustainability strategy and how they can get involved in the environment and society right from the start.
Developing talent and promoting individual careers
You can find out more about careers at Deutsche Telekom
websiteWe always keep an eye on the increasing demand for qualified workers, especially IT and tech experts, and face the competition for the best talent. We conduct targeted recruiting for our apprenticeships and dual study places, internships, trainee programs or the entry of experts. Investing in our own junior staff is another pillar for securing skilled workers.
We also promote the compatibility of career and private life. Further information can be found here in the CR report under Employees and under Corporate culture and inclusion.
Excursus: Cyber Security Professional training initiative
Experts in IT security are still rare on the German labor market. Since 2014, we have been offering the two-and-a-half-year part-time IHK training to become a cyber security professional and are continuously developing the program to take into account current and future IT security requirements. The topic of AI is included in all modules of the program.
Our highlights:
In 2025, the program entered its twelfth year with another cohort with a total of 20 participants.
In the reporting, 19 participants passed the IHK certificate examinations for cyber security professionals.
At the end of 2025, we had a total of 196 participants and 134 certified graduates.
96 % of the graduates remained employed by Deutsche Telekom.
Many graduates continue to work as specialist coaches, thus strengthening knowledge management.
Since 2018, the Cyber Security Professional training course has also been open to employees of external companies and authorities; a total of 17 external participants have taken part so far.
Further information on the topic of IT security can be found under Cybersecurity and data protection here in the CR report.
How we identify and develop talent
Our fundamental goal is to develop talented employees specifically for important positions in the Group. To this end, we connect talents and managers, create transparency in our talent pool and establish direct contact with potential managers.
We identify and empower talent according to our performance development approach “WeGrow”, based on the four criteria of achievement, ambition, attitude and ability. As part of “WeGrow”, we organize the “People Days” every year. This is where leadership teams meet to identify talent among their employees.
Magenta Exchange program with T‑Mobile US
In 2024, we conducted the Magenta Exchange program for the first time as a cross-company exchange between Deutsche Telekom and T‑Mobile US. High-potential leaders from both companies gained new insights into the business and culture of the other organization. In the reporting year, we developed the program in a targeted manner: The focus was on certain key business areas, and virtual pre-sessions were also introduced to optimally prepare participants for the subsequent attendance phase. A total of 15 talents took part in 2025.
Promoting experts and managers
You can find out more about our development programs in the
HR Factbook 2025Our program “levelup! NEXTGEN” is aimed at future managers as well as tech and digital experts. In 2025, more than 1,100 participants from all segments and 20 countries started the predominantly virtual training on leadership and collaboration topics. The proportion of international talent increased from 39 % to 54 % compared to the previous year.
In the global talent initiative “Global Talent Hub”, we promote (prospective) managers. In 2025, 220 talents with potential for an executive role participated in the program. In addition, we filled 21.5 % of our executive positions with “Global Talent Hub” talents (excluding T‑Mobile US).
System solutions segment: Performance Management – “Unfolding Performance” trainings
T‑Systems launched the “Unfolding Performance” initiative four years ago to strengthen managers in performance management and promote employee development. To this end, the segment has created a comprehensive wiki for executives that provides practical instructions and the necessary knowledge for effective cooperation and support of the team members. In “Enabling Leaders” events, managers received an overview of all performance management measures at T‑Systems.
To date, more than 1,800 executives in 16 countries and across 9 time zones have been qualified.
The events met with a high level of approval: 87.2 % of the participants rated them positively.
In the future, the training courses are to be provided in a digital tool that is available at all times.
United States segment: learning and career development
T‑Mobile US continued to invest in career development programs in the reporting year. They aim to help employees stay ahead of emerging learning and development trends, acquire sought-after skills and open up internal career opportunities.
This is how the Magenta Accelerator program started: This eleven-week internal internship allows employees to gain experience in other business areas outside of their current team or department. Following the internship period, high-performing participants are given the opportunity to move into new permanent positions.
In addition, T‑Mobile US piloted the Opportunity Marketplace in 2025, a platform that makes internal, project-based assignments visible. Employees can use this platform to build new skills or contribute existing skills to other areas of the company. A company-wide rollout is planned for 2026.
In addition to these new initiatives, T‑Mobile US continues to offer various professional development programs and tools. These include Magenta U, a learning platform with on-demand access to thousands of courses, as well as job shadowing and stretch assignment offerings to explore different career paths. In addition, the company’s Level Up Library provides learning materials for particularly sought-after fields of expertise.
Offers for the skilled workers of tomorrow
You can find out more about training and career entry in the
HR Factbook 2025As one of the largest training companies in Germany, we support pupils, students and graduates in choosing a career and starting a career. In a career orientation internship, young people gain valuable insights into the everyday work of a telecommunications company.
In 2025, we offered almost 1,700 apprenticeships in Germany: more than 1,200 places for vocational training and around 470 places for dual bachelor’s programs.
Top graduates get to know how to get to know their skills as part of the individually configurable trainee program “Start up!” within 18 months. You will gain practical experience through challenging projects and customer-oriented assignments. In the reporting year, 43 new trainees started, 37 % of whom were women.
In addition to our training and internship offers, we launched the strategic initiative Fit4Future in Germany in 2025. This program specifically strengthens young people in key future skills – with a focus on mental health, financial literacy, media literacy and personal attitude. Practical, interactive and designed by young employees for young talents, Fit4Future is intended to promote resilience, self-efficacy and optimism about the future. In this way, we want to make a concrete contribution to a modern, responsible training culture. In cooperation with the start-up trainees from our Board of Management, we were able to offer 26 sessions on 20 different topics in the reporting year, which were attended by young people a total of around 2,600 times.
Investments in our employees and future skilled workers: successes in 2025
We were able to fill 53 % of our open positions with internal candidates (2024: 56 %; 2023: 51 %, 2022: 33 %).
In addition, we have once again received several awards as an attractive employer.
Strategic personnel restructuring and transfer management
You can find out more about staff restructuring and fluctuation in the
HR Factbook 2025The increasingly digitalized world of work is also accompanied by a complex personnel restructuring. We are creating new jobs in growth areas and building up qualified personnel for them. In other business areas, we are adapting structures and reducing the number of employees. We have always designed all measures for staff restructuring to be socially responsible for our employees. In the reporting year, we made particular use of instruments such as committed retirement, partial retirement and severance payments.
Finding perspectives in close exchange
In Germany, we have a holistic personnel restructuring and transfer management system. The goal: to win over employees for career changes at an early stage. If tasks are eliminated in the short or medium term or other qualifications become necessary, we advise the affected employees in advance on the possibilities of professional reorientation. Together with the managers, internal and external employment alternatives are considered and personal labor market profiles are developed. In addition, we support individual application processes and offer qualifications where necessary.
Since 2018, we have advised around 3,400 employees nationwide in the Germany segment. Around 65 % of them were able to open up new career options through this advice.
Looking ahead
We want to further promote the digital skills of our employees and place a clear focus on using AI sensibly in everyday work. Our aim is to enable all employees to use AI responsibly and add value. At the same time, we pay attention to the balanced interaction between technology and people: In addition to AI skills, we specifically strengthen key future and soft skills. In this way, we create the basis for long-term success in the digital world of work.
Deep Dive for Experts
Management & Frameworks
Important foundations for the various training, further education and development measures are laid down in our Code of Human Rights and in our Guiding Principles. For many areas of Deutsche Telekom, there are concrete agreements with the social partners and the works councils on the subject of further training.