Successful conclusion of the “Automotive Challenges – Competence Development” project

Successful conclusion of the “Automotive Challenges – Competence Development” project

 

We have successfully concluded our project “Automotive Challenges – Skill Development”, which identified successful strategies to address the structural changes in the automotive supply chain and the resulting skill gaps. The results of the project go beyond the original objectives. Our aim is to actively contribute to the competitiveness and sustainability of domestic automotive companies, to the retention of the workforce and ultimately to building a greener and more digital future. As a first step, we are launching the ZONE Training and Innovation Academy to provide training solutions at a practical level for the domestic automotive sector.

 

In recent years, both the automotive and the component manufacturing segments have been undergoing rapid changes. The automotive supply chains are affected by, among other things, tightening climate policy regulations, rapid technology change, digitalisation, intensifying global competition and limited availability of critical raw materials. These changes pose significant challenges for companies, especially in securing their labour base.

The project “Automotive Challenges – Competence Development” was launched with the support of the Ministry of National Economy to support the effective implementation of the Automotive Competitiveness Strategy. The main objective of the project is to support industry actors, especially SMEs, to adapt to the changing economic and technological environment.

The key is knowledge transformation in industry

The project mapped the trends in the domestic automotive industry through a comprehensive industry survey. An important part of the research was a series of in-depth interviews with industry stakeholders – OEMs, automotive suppliers, distributors and industry and advocacy associations. The research focused on the regulatory changes and business perspectives affecting the automotive industry, as well as on the identification of the industry competence matrix and current skills gaps (skill-gap analysis). In addition, an important part of the project was the identification of the basic requirements and tools for workforce transformation.

The research revealed that the biggest challenge at present is the existence of regulatory changes that induce the intensive transformation of the sector, the existence of industry skill-gaps as the main constraint for workforce transformation and the urgent need to develop reskilling and upskilling opportunities. Industry knowledge transformation is the key to the development of domestic suppliers, especially the Tier 1 segment, to increase the added value of Hungarian SMEs and to channel them into the value chain. For more information on the ZONE Cluster’s Automotive Workforce Transformation Programme, click here.

 

ZONE Automotive Skills Development Pilot Programme launched

Based on industry analysis, we have developed a complex and innovative training pilot programme that can provide appropriate responses to these challenges and help workers and employers adapt. The pilot programme, combining digital and face-to-face learning, is the starting point for our Automotive Skills Development Programme.

In the first phase of our automotive training programme, we launched three courses with blended learning of our proprietary learning materials. In addition to the development of the educational content, we have also developed a comprehensive knowledge validation and extensibility methodology. All three courses include an e-learning courseware and a face-to-face training session. The aim of the training courses is to provide real, marketable professional knowledge with a practical focus that will effectively help the trainees to adapt to rapidly changing technologies and market environments. The following courses have been launched as part of the pilot training:

  1. High Voltage Systems for Electric Vehicles – Awareness and Work Safety (EV-PROTECT)
  2. Design Thinking in Automotive Innovation – How to turn an idea into business growth?
  3. What does the new ESG law impose on companies? – ESG-based decision-making

Click on the course title for detailed information about the training, the topics and the availability of the e-learning course material. The e-learning course materials developed during the pilot are available free of charge to anyone without restrictions.

 

The future: the ZONE Training and Innovation Academy

The impact of the project goes beyond the development of training materials and the successful delivery of training. Our aim is to further leverage the innovative training materials developed during the pilot and to continue to actively contribute to the competitiveness, sustainability, workforce retention and ultimately to building a greener and more digital future for domestic automotive companies.

On the threshold of the paradigm shift in the automotive industry, it is the market players that equip their workers with competitive knowledge that will survive. Recognising this, we set out to create the ZONE Training and Innovation Academy to provide training solutions at a practical level to support workforce transformation in the domestic automotive sector. Our aim is to build a training portfolio that can deliver solutions to our partners at all levels, from blue-collar workers to university micro-certificates. All our training courses provide an adult learning certificate.

We develop flexible, innovative, high quality theoretical and strong practical skills training that delivers quick results and provides a boost to companies and employees.

In addition to providing up-to-date training for companies and workers in the automotive industry, the ZONE Training and Innovation Academy will also function as a professional workshop, allowing us to produce our own training materials with high quality theoretical and strong practical knowledge. Our aim is to map and adapt EdTech innovations, to establish international educational best practices and to build the domestic automotive and EdTech ecosystem, based on our extensive domestic and international corporate and academic collaboration network. Our curricula are developed according to international standards, and the latest European educational trends are integrated at a practical level into our internationally collaborative curricula. We participate in consortia for educational development, and we write and manage tenders within and outside the EU.