Citijet kick-started our careers! The authors recall the first Škoda student car

The idea for a student concept car emerged from the renowned GTI Treffen at Wörthersee, where students from the Volkswagen Academy in Wolfsburg would present their customized Golf GTI builds. Christoph Lerche, then head of the Škoda Academy, proposed launching a similar initiative for students in Mladá Boleslav — with one key difference: Škoda students would have the opportunity to directly engage in the vehicle’s engineering and design, unlike in Wolfsburg. “We thought, why not build something crazy — something you can't buy, something young people can create from scratch. We managed to make it happen, and that’s how the tradition began,” recalls Michael Oeljeklaus, who at the time served as Škoda Auto Board Member for Production and Logistics.

Fun and motivation

Students joined the project gradually. In the beginning, workshop instructors selected a few particularly talented and motivated apprentices, who were later joined by others inspired by the project’s potential. “My instructor knew I worked on cars with my dad, so he asked if I wanted to get involved,” recalls mechanic David Baňkowski. “The instructor just went and picked the most skilled students,” laughs auto electrician Lukáš Novotný. “I signed up myself because I had trouble communicating at the time and wanted to break through that,” says Jana Siudová, explaining her personal motivation. “I only learned about the project after the first design round, but I really wanted to be part of it. Luckily, I was still able to join,” remembers Radovan Juráš.

The four of them became part of a 16-member team. Jana Siudová successfully overcame her communication barriers by helping present the car and even taking on a leadership role within the group. Radovan Juráš contributed heavily to the design, producing most of the sketches and accompanying the car to exhibitions where he presented it to the public. David Baňkowski, by his own account, was constantly taking the car apart and putting it back together: “If we didn’t like a component, we had to remove it, modify it, and reinstall it. And we did that over and over again,” he recalls. Lukáš Novotný was in charge of the complete electrical rework. “Especially toward the end, it was intense. After school, I’d stay in the workshop late into the afternoon and get home quite late,” he remembers. 

Despite the demands, all team members agree that working on the project was a rewarding experience. “It was something completely different from memorizing things from books. I learned how to operate in real life,” says Siudová. “There was freedom, creativity — we really got to let loose a little,” adds Baňkowski.

Ten student cars

Unmatched experience

Working on the Citijet project turned out to be an invaluable experience for everyone involved. 
“This is not something many 19-year-olds can put on their résumé,” says Novotný, emphasizing that the students had real autonomy: “Our instructor acted more like a liaison officer. If he saw something heading in the wrong direction, he’d step in — otherwise, the teachers let us handle everything ourselves.” 

That hands-on independence proved crucial in launching many of their careers. Today, Novotný works in technical support for Škoda Auto’s marketing vehicle presentations. His role keeps him involved with student-built cars as well — recently, for example, he helped set up Škoda vehicles for fan zones at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. “It’s a fun and dynamic job. We often work with one-off or non-standard vehicles, so we’re in close contact with engineers to figure out unique technical solutions,” he explains. 

For Jana Siudová, what once felt like a nightmare — presentations and communication — is now part of her everyday professional life. “We experienced a lot of stressful situations during the project, and that’s what taught me how to communicate — both within the team and externally,” she says, reflecting on the project’s impact. Today, those skills serve her well in the paint shop, where she handles supplier communications among other responsibilities. “Having prior experience definitely helped me during job interviews,” she adds.