Training the engineers of the future together

The cooperation has significant roots, as the company, which has been operating in the city for 20 years and has the highest technological and knowledge requirements, has played an important role in Hungarian higher education from the very beginning, especially in the technical and technological courses of the University of Debrecen. As a result, NI and the university have implemented educational and research programs of outstanding importance.

– It is important for the University of Debrecen to help new and new collaborations, as this  spirit can contribute to expanding the university’s training portfolio, creating new courses, developing infrastructure, all of which serve the purpose of enabling students to gain sufficient professional experience, to find employment – said Piroska Ailer, UD’s Deputy Rector for Technical Innovation and Training Development .

NI also played a major role in the establishment of the Department of Mechatronics established at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen.

– From the inception of the idea to its implementation, we cooperated with the engineers working for the company, who did not graduate in Debrecen, as we had no such training. Thus, it is both a pleasure and success that the proportion of engineering employees who have graduated at the university now reaches 50 percent at NI – emphasized Géza Husi , Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

On BSc courses at UD, the elective course launched by NI in the spring semester, regardless of faculty, was one of the most successful subjects at the university, chosen by 210 university students of 25 programs in 7 faculties.

– Today, the shortage of engineers is a global problem, so it is an important issue to be solved in order to have a sufficient number of professionally qualified professionals to carry out research and development. Thus, the affiliated department not only formalizes them, but also offers new opportunities in the implementation of NI’s long-term technical goals – said Róbert Hosszu, Managing Director of NI Hungary Kft.

In the higher-level knowledge environment, students encounter real-world industrial solutions, create design simulations using MultiSIM and Ultiboard software, and engage in printed circuit board design. In the final two semesters, students also have the opportunity to study in project work in the NI manufacturing environment, where they can master the details of building and testing a product. Experience to date supports the effectiveness of the NI specialization in MSc training. In January of this year, the third year has begun, and there are now some graduates from the first year who have become engineers for NI.

– In this innovative training spectrum, students of mechatronics can acquire knowledge that represents a significant step forward not only for NI, but also for the entire Hungarian electronics industry in order to employ a highly qualified workforce, – emphasized Csanád Makkai , Production Engineering Director of NI Hungary Kft.

– The science of mechatronics was born from the triad of MECHAnics (mechanical engineering sciences), elecTronics (electrical engineering sciences) and informatTIcs (informatics sciences). Due to the joint work of the past years, the Department of Mechatronics of the DE may succeed in combining mechanical engineering, electronics and programming with system integration engineering training – added Tamás Péter Szemes, Department of Mechatronics, Faculty of Engineering, University of Debrecen, deputy head of department.

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