“We are transforming Škoda Auto and transitioning towards e-mobility and digitisation. To successfully navigate this change, we are creating the conditions to upskill our employees and prepare them for the future requirements of our industry. In this context, lifelong learning and empowering our employees are top priorities for us. We can look back on an almost 100-year tradition of training and education at Škoda Auto, starting with our first apprentices in 1927. Today, with its innovative and strategic approach to learning, the Škoda Academy plays a key role in enabling our employees to develop new skills and contributes towards future-proofing Škoda Auto and enhancing our competitiveness in a radically changing world.“
Maren Gräf, Škoda Auto Board Member for People & Culture
Maren Kabowski, Head of Škoda Academy, adds: “The range of courses of Škoda Academy not only aims to pass on technical knowledge but also to integrate professional and social skills. This anniversary gives us the opportunity to look back on the amazing results of the past decade and express our sincere thanks to all partners for our fruitful collaboration. At the same time, as we celebrate our tenth anniversary, we are outlining our vision of the education of the future and continuing to drive transformation. The Škoda Academy will make a significant contribution to the successful future of our company and thus also our regions.”
Building up a strong educational community
In 2013, the education and training of employees and pupils was merged under the Škoda Academy roof. It was established as part of the Volkswagen Group Academy strategy. Within this framework, the role of the Škoda Academy is defined, in particular, by the following topics: product, digitalization, mindset culture, factory and working methods.
The Škoda Academy has built up an exceptional educational community within and outside the Volkswagen Group, from which it now benefits to respond quickly and purposefully to changes.
People empowerment at Škoda Auto
As a rapidly transforming company focused on digitalization and future technologies, Škoda Auto has made learning an integral part of its corporate strategy. The company considers the right skills and employee empowerment to be a major key to successful transformation. The Škoda Academy therefore sees its task as offering training courses that are not only relevant in terms of content, but that also motivate employees to learn independently and enable them to develop continuously.
With “Degreed“, the Škoda Academy now offers a suitable digital learning ecosystem with re-skilling and upskilling, development paths and mindset measures. This ecosystem is itself in a constant process of transformation to keep pace with the rapidly changing environment in the automotive industry and social realities. It creates innovative workspaces and changes the paradigm of learning.
Škoda Auto has a long tradition of education
The Czech car manufacturer has a long track record of investing heavily in training and further education. It was in 1927 that the Škoda vocational school in Mladá Boleslav opened its doors to the first 58 students. Since then, more than 25,000 people have graduated from the school. Today, the vocational school forms part of the Škoda Academy, where almost 820 aspiring automotive specialists across 19 disciplines are preparing for their future roles. Nearly one hundred of them are women. The company has already upskilled more than 23,000 employees to prepare them for the demands of e-mobility and secure jobs at the site.
Ten years of forward-looking topics
During the anniversary celebrations, the attendees had the opportunity to participate in interactive, innovative workshops to explore the development of educational topics such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing, automation, e-mobility, and various projects on human skills.
As part of the anniversary event, students from the Škoda vocational school in Mladá Boleslav released a video offering a preview of the next Apprentice Car.
The Apprentice Car is the Škoda Academy’s flagship project, which involves vocational school students transforming a vehicle from Škoda’s portfolio into their very own dream car in one academic year. The apprentices are solely responsible for realizing the concept – from the first sketch to the finished unique vehicle. They receive support from many Škoda Auto departments, including Škoda Design and Technical Development.
Commitment to people empowerment
On the occasion of the anniversary, Klaus Zellmer, Chairman of the Board of Škoda Auto, Maren Gräf, Member of the Board for People and Culture and Jaroslav Povšík, Chairman of the KOVO trade union, signed a memorandum to promote and support the Škoda Academy. The company is thus committed to investing intensively in the training and development of its employees to successfully master the transformation to e-mobility and digitalization.