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The BMW Group Factory Debrecen Training Centre has been inaugurated.
In his welcome speech at the official ceremony, Mayor of Debrecen László Papp said that it is worth getting used to the idea that the world is watching Debrecen because something is being prepared here that has not existed before, which will open a new era in the history of the automotive industry and transport.
“I’m proud to say: it is great courage and a great recognition from BMW to Debrecen and the Hungarian professionals to take this step in a completely new location, here,” László Papp said.
He continued, “When we entered the BMW Training Centre, we entered the future. After all, this is where young people from Debrecen who are interested in a sector that did not exist in this city before will start their careers in the coming decades.
“The students who are here with them now will have the chance to establish their careers in this city, working in a field that suits their qualifications, with the launch of the BMW plant,” the mayor said, adding that he considered it symbolic that the education centre is the first building to be completed.
The mayor added that Debrecen has an abundance of talented young people and recalled they believed in the future when they announced the Debrecen Education Growth Programme in 2015 in partnership with educational institutions. As a result, the number of students in vocational education in Debrecen has risen from 7,500 to more than 12,000, and the same dynamics can be observed in engineering education at the University of Debrecen. Vocational training programmes that provide future talent for the Debrecen economy have been strengthened.
Addressing the students, László Papp said: You are the first people from Debrecen to join one of the world’s most innovative automotive companies. Be proud of this because being the first, remembering the historic moments will be a wonderful feeling when you pass on your knowledge and experience to your young colleagues.”
Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Human Resources and Industrial Relations, said at the opening ceremony, “More than 20 million euros have been invested in this 6,500 square metre facility. This space provides a world-class learning environment and training environment for education and practical work, fully digitalised by technology”.
In his introduction at the opening ceremony, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said: “Live in exciting times, the saying goes. In our case, this was all too well done, as we had to face various world crises. But there is one process that the world crises have not been able to disrupt: the electric car industry”.
The minister pointed out that it is already a foregone conclusion that the automotive industry will be electric, but the question is where it will be built, which countries will create new jobs and which countries will be among the winners of the global automotive revolution.
“Hungary has become the European champion of this process, and we are among the leaders”.
Péter Szijjártó said, adding that Eastern and Western companies have found in Hungary the possibility of peaceful cooperation. This is, of course, due to the lowest taxes in Europe and the most competitive investment environment in Europe, but it is also due to a foreign policy strategy based on mutual respect.
The Minister recalled that five of the world’s ten largest Chinese battery companies have already committed themselves to Hungary. And BMW is bringing the latest technology to Hungary and Debrecen. This is also a sign of absolute confidence in Hungarian workers.
He also mentioned that the government has provided HUF 25 billion to the University of Debrecen to expand the capacity of the Faculty of Engineering and to create a new research institute for automotive engineering.
The launch of the BMW Training Centre marks another chapter in the cooperation between Hungary and Germany.
As we have already reported, a new vocational training programme, which could provide the basis for a whole career, was launched in Debrecen on the 18th of September. Under the dual vocational training programme of the Bavarian premium manufacturer BMW, 100 students from three technical schools of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre will learn the basics of four professions. The company’s dual vocational training programme, launched in partnership with the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre (DSZC) and based on international experience, offers students the opportunity to acquire the skills they need to build a career at the Debrecen plant of the world’s leading premium car and motorcycle manufacturer.
In 2025, the BMW Group’s full-scale car plant will start production in Debrecen, when the first model of the all-electric Neue Klasse, which will debut in Debrecen, will roll off the production line.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
