“Highly trained, qualified employees are important for ensuring the future viability of the company and for achieving our growth targets,” said ŠKODA CEO Bernhard Maier, who continued, “This applies in particular in view of the immense technological and structural challenges that the automotive industry has to master in the coming years. That’s why ŠKODA heavily invests in the training and ongoing development of its staff. With the expansion of our vocational school, we are once again underlining our aspiration to offer first-class training concepts for our employees.”
Alongside ŠKODA CEO Bernhard Maier and Board Member for Human Resources Bohdan Wojnar, ŠKODA Board Member for Production Michael Oeljeklaus and the KOVO MB Union’s Chairman Jaroslav Povšík also took part in the grand opening ceremony of the modernised training centre. The new robotics lab, multipurpose room and language centre are the highlights of the comprehensive modernisation work. The modernisation of the vocational school began in 2014 with a new mechatronics lab; one year later a new CNC centre and workshops for specialised classes were opened. In the last three years, ŠKODA has invested a total of over 200 million Czech korunas (€7.4 million) in its vocational centre.
“At ŠKODA, we heavily invest in training and developing our employees because qualifications are an important pillar for the sustainable success of a company,” said ŠKODA Board Member for Human Resources Bohdan Wojnar, adding, “With the modernised ŠKODA Vocational School, we are offering our students the highest-quality teaching in state-of-the-art classrooms. Special thanks go to the KOVO Union, which has been wholeheartedly supporting and promoting the development of our vocational school.”
The ŠKODA Vocational School of Mechanical Engineering offers young people three- and four-year training courses in technical subjects leading to either an apprenticeship diploma or a general qualification for university entrance. ŠKODA currently offers 14 training courses. The most popular three-year courses on offer are the car mechanic and car electrician programmes. Industrial logistics and IT mechatronics are the prominent four-year programmes, and lead to a general qualification for university entrance. Students can also develop their specialist knowledge in post-graduate programmes. At its vocational school, ŠKODA is increasingly focusing on the concept of dual training, which combines theory and practical training and focuses on job-related requirements.
Courses at the ŠKODA Vocational School are free of charge for students; and they are reimbursed for the work completed as part of their apprenticeship. ŠKODA guarantees its students employment once they have successfully completed the course.
Since as early as 1927, the Czech manufacturer has had its own vocational school at its headquarters in Mladá Boleslav, where around 22,300 students have graduated to date. Around 900 soon-to-be automotive specialists are currently preparing themselves for their future work at ŠKODA, 13 per cent of whom are women.
