The “TalentFactory” – referred to as a “factory of talent” – has begun operations as part of the BMW Group Plant Debrecen’s dual vocational training program, the plant and city leaders announced at a press conference on site on Tuesday.
Hans-Peter Kemser, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Hungary Kft., stated that the program is integrated into the plant’s organizational structure and provides students with the opportunity to support production processes in a real industrial environment, aided by advanced technologies and instructors.
A kind of “factory within the factory” has been established, where students, under mentor guidance and with input from plant professionals, independently produce equipment, components, and tools based on orders from the plant’s various technological departments – items they will later see in actual production, the CEO explained.
The “TalentFactory”, operating under this “factory within the factory” concept, opened with a showcase of its first products: students created various transport devices and equipment designed to move bodywork elements, all commissioned by the factory.
Students work in groups of 8 to 10 in the “TalentFactory”, and any student from any year of the three-year dual vocational program may participate. Currently, 200 students are involved, but this number will soon grow to 300, and could increase by up to 100 more each year, Hans-Peter Kemser noted. He emphasized that one of the biggest advantages of the “TalentFactory” is that students can learn to use the latest technologies in a real production environment, and the program is intended to serve as an example for other companies operating in the city.
László Papp (Fidesz-KDNP), Mayor of Debrecen, said the city has built its strategy on education for nearly five hundred years – and still does today – with BMW serving as a strong driver, offering a “successfully high level of dual training.”
According to the mayor, “a huge transformation is underway,” where internal combustion engines may be replaced by electric or other alternative solutions – an area in which BMW has a strong strategy. However, for this strategy to be successful, talent is needed, and young talents must be identified year after year to drive forward innovative ideas.
Zsolt Tirpák, Chancellor of the Debrecen Vocational Training Center (DSzC), added that vocational training has been restructured on a new foundation over the past decade, with dual training and close cooperation with the economy playing a key role.
He called it symbolic that the first facility completed when BMW’s Debrecen investment began was the training center – now home to the “TalentFactory”.
(MTI)
