Our people volunteer their skills and expertise through vocational training sessions to local audiologists and students in many countries around the world.

Employees experiencing hearing loss

• (March 2021) To celebrate World Hearing Day, Australia/NZ (ANZ) and Singapore launched an initiative for employees to experience hearing loss. In ANZ, employees wore earplugs while going about their daily activities, and in Singapore, an adjustable simulator was used to create a similar effect. Just another way to educate our own people, and a chance to screen their hearing and update employees on our latest products.

A Fun Learning Opportunity

• (August 2020, US, picture above) Every year, Signia US hosts a week-long Student University event in which a selected group of students visits the New Jersey facility for lectures on audiology-related topics by external experts, as well as internal staff. It’s not only a fun learning opportunity, but it provides a space for networking with other students and the Signia team. This year, the event was held virtually with 141 students having registered from 56 U.S. universities. Lectures with the highest attendance were on topics including Interviewing and Resume Skills, Tinnitus, and Probe Microphone Measures.

Online initiatives

• (August 2020, Global) As technology plays a bigger role in most of our lives – now more than ever – WSA has adapted to the times with initiatives related to education, learning, and training, many of them online. These include separate Widex and Sivantos events, such as launch webinars, online trainings using new platforms, and local markets trainings carried out by sales colleagues from each respective side. The events cater to customer’s specific needs.

Supporting Our Own Children’s Education

• (February 2020, ZA, picture above) WSA South Africa recognizes education as a key driver of personal development and, subsequently, commercial success.  Thus, the company launched an initiative to financially support the education of its employees’ children. WSA will invite its South African employees to apply annually. If accepted, they’ll receive either full or partial funding for their children’s schooling. This year, all applicants received at least some funding from the total 5,200 US dollars contributed by WSA.

Motivation for all

• (August 2020, ZA) Signia South Africa organized an event with motivational speaker Gavin Sharples for some much needed inspiration and humor in addition to sending out rose gold mobile rings to their clients in celebration of National Women’s Day which takes place every year on August 9.

• (December 2019, PL) WSA Poland Service Department employees realized a fantastic project in early December. The team renovated a day room at a School and Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Wroclaw. They did everything on their own from design ideas and cost estimate to the actual renovation.

• (December 2019, CN) WS Audiology China supported an educational hearing loss initiative at the end of the year started by Red Star Macalline Group, one of China’s largest furniture retailers. The Group launched a campaign for its 20-year anniversary titled, “Silent Sound, Lovely Home”, which included a series of videos with a storyline based on the life of Li Mengyu, a WS Audiology employee with hearing loss. A WSA hearing aid is featured in the videos which have called attention to hearing loss. 

• (November 2019, JP) WSA Japan welcomed two junior high school students to its offices to learn about how products are created and delivered to customers. The students got a real hands-on experience as they were even taught how to perform certain tasks.

• (October 2019, DE) A 14-year-old girl who goes by her initials “TTH”, has been raised by her single mother in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and suffers from severe hearing loss. In October, she received 2 hearing aids and six months of free classes through the Help for Little Ears initiative of Lions Club Germany. Although she was considered technically illiterate, never having attended school before, she is already able to say short sentences and is developing her thoughts and behavior.

• (July 2019, Global, see picture above) WS Audiology Singapore brought a reading challenge to the company as part of a charity drive to benefit the less privileged and raise awareness on the importance of literacy. 706 colleagues across 17 countries and 23 offices participated in the “Read for Books” charity book drive for which the Singapore National Reading movement pledged to donate one book for every ten people who read for 15 minutes between July 13 and 28.

• (July 2019, ZA) For global Nelson Mandela Day, WS Audiology South Africa’s goal was to donate 67 books to the Correctional Services’ Reading for Redemption Campaign in honor of the 67 years that Mandela in spent fighting for social justice! The campaign’s aim is to build a new culture of reading and learning among offenders at Correctional Services.

• (March 2019, ZA) As part of World Hearing Day 2019, employees at Sivantos South Africa met students at St. Vincent School for the Deaf in Johannesburg, to whom they donated hearing aids as part of a “Hear We Are Foundation” sponsorship project. The day was filled with lots of hugs and even a signed performance of the song “You’ve got a friend in me” by one of the classes at the school.

• (March 2019, IN - See picture above) Millions of children in India are eager to attend school but are unable to do so due to poverty and hunger. The Akshaya Patra foundation provides free lunch to schoolchildren all over India. In 2018, WS Audiology India supported this great project by matching its previous year’s donation of 1.10 million INR (approx. 15,500 USD), helping to feed almost 1,200 children in need in the Bellary area.