BMW Group lays foundation for dual vocational training at new site in Hungary // Cooperation agreements signed with local partner schools

Munich/Debrecen. The BMW Group is paving the way for introduction of dual vocational training at its new plant under construction in Debrecen, Hungary from September 2021. A cooperation agreement to this effect was signed with the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre (DSZC) on 18 July. The BMW Group will work with these partners to implement the German dual vocational training concept in Hungary. This will ensure that apprentices are optimally prepared for future occupations in innovative learning environments, with high quality standards and flexible structures. In autumn 2019, the first intake will embark on five years of vocational training: two at school and three in the dual system, with learning in the classroom and on the job at the BMW Group.

“We believe that combining theory and practice is vital in employee training. I’m especially pleased we will be able to offer young people at our new location in Hungary dual vocational training and help them make the ideal start to their career,” underlined Michele Melchiorre, the designated head of the Debrecen plant. The BMW Group will offer four attractive apprenticeships at the new location: electrical and automation engineering, mechatronics, automotive mechatronics (systems and high-voltage technology) and information technology for systems integration.

Sabine Wilhelm, head of Professional and Vocational Training and Transformation Management at the BMW Group, emphasised the benefits of the concept: “We have introduced dual vocational training based on the German model at five production locations worldwide since 2012, always taking local factors into account. In cooperation with the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre (DSZC), we will now also be able to implement it in Hungary. We are very happy to be able to provide our future apprentices with the ideal preparation they need for their future occupations, in innovative learning environments with high quality standards and flexible structures.”

The partner schools have already been chosen: In the DSZC Brassai Sámuel Műszaki Szakgimnáziuma and the DSZC Mechwart András Gépipari és Informatikai Szakgimnáziuma, the BMW Group has found two highly qualified local partners based in Debrecen to cover the theoretical side of training. Together with these two schools, the BMW Group will now develop a detailed concept for implementation of the dual vocational training programme.  

Participating apprentices will spend the first two years of the five-year programme at one of the two schools, where they will learn the basic practical skills and theory needed for their chosen occupation. From the third year on, attention will increasingly turn to practical application of this knowledge. Apprentices in the programme will gain on-the-job experience at the BMW Group in Debrecen. In addition to professional qualifications, the BMW Group will also focus on apprentices’ personal development throughout the training.

The first intake of apprentices will embark on their training at the partner schools in the autumn of 2019. Pupils will be able to apply for an apprenticeship in spring 2021 and begin their dual vocational training at the BMW Group in September 2021.