BMW Group Belux has once again confirmed its tradition of bringing technical education into contact with the latest technology by donating 13 brand-new cars to technical schools across the country.
Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele and Voka (Flemish entrepreneurs’ network) CEO Frank Beckx attended the ceremony. The newest donation brings BMW Belgium’s total to more than 70 cars donated to different technical schools across the country.
Among the cars was also a full-electric Mini that wasn’t assigned to any one school but will rotate among the different schools. This cooperation between an importer like BMW and the technical schools is seen as an example of mutual aid.
‘Duales Lernen’
“In Germany, the concept of ‘Duales Lernen’ (dual learning) has been established for a long time,” explained BMW Group Belux CEO Alexander Wehr. “Students have contacts in an early stage with companies through exchanges and internships. It enhances their chances to find the right job.”
As a company with 3,600 employees (the personnel of our 70 dealers included), we are constantly looking for tech talent,” he continued. “Graduates who are already into the newest technologies are, of course, more interesting to us. They know all about different drive technologies, and that’s interesting, because not all our cars are already electric, despite the fact that we already sell a large majority of electrified vehicles.”
Minister-President Diependaele responded: “If we want to strengthen our technical talent in the future, we have to bridge between school and workplace. Dual learning offers practical experience with the latest technology, enabling them to acquire the competencies needed in the industry. It gives youngsters better chances and improves the impact force of Flanders as an industrial region.”
Voka CEO Frank Beckx added: I’m convinced that these cooperations make technical schooling more attractive. And we need them in Flanders. A strong, structured cooperation between schools and companies is essential for this. Dual learning may be the most sophisticated form, but internships, guest lectures, company visits, and other exchanges are most valuable, and BMW Group is an example in these.”
BMW Group Belux has contacts with many technical schools through its Training Center in Bornem. Typically, the donation of a car is part of a larger cooperation project, including internships at local BMW dealers and licensed access to BMW diagnostic software.
