Blog We must nurture our techniques from kindergarten onward.

Future techniques pamper their machinery even in kindergarten. They purchase toys for preschools, send funds to students for their studies, and finance retraining courses for the unemployed. Companies in the engineering sector are doing everything they can, due to a shortage of specialists, to secure a top-quality workforce.

Right now, apprentices from the Secondary Industrial School of Automotive and Technical Studies from České Budějovice are here on internship, guided by Věra Vrchotová, HR Director, at the Motor Jikov training center. About six boys are standing by machines in the workshop. Master Zdeněk Struska is showing them how to operate the equipment and what to produce. In a month, they will take final exams as metal machinists, toolmakers, and locksmiths, with some of them starting full-time employment here this summer.

Apprentices with practical experience take precedence

Let's check out the next group of students who are already in the production line, assisting employees with specific orders. They work quite competently.
“Our apprentices have a high reputation; they usually perform excellently in exams. They connect theory with practice here—without our training, they wouldn’t learn much from books. They learn to operate the most modern machines, about which they wouldn’t even hear in school. After all, in engineering, we must constantly follow trends. If we fall behind even for a moment, we won’t catch up with development,” says Zdeněk Struska, who mentors about 50 apprentices annually. This gives them a significant advantage over other job seekers at Motor Jikov.

“They already understand how our operation works, so during recruitment, there’s no need to explain anything to them; they can dive straight into work,” applauds the cooperation between the company and schools, says HR Director Věra Vrchotová.

We give building sets and trains to preschools

The labor market professionals are scarce, so Motor Jikov must train employees almost “from the cradle.” It’s not an exaggeration; the engineering company collaborates with three kindergartens in South Bohemia. They purchase technical toys—various trains and Merkur building sets. What if some children become so fascinated with technology that they stay with it and someday join the company as specialists?

For primary school students, there are various excursions to manufacturing halls and lectures about the prospects of engineering. “We try to show the public that it’s no longer a dirty craft but a prestigious profession in high demand in the labor market, and well-paid to boot,” explains Věra Vrchotová. The demand for talented technicians will continue.

Among approximately fourteen apprentices from the Budějovice Polytechnic, who spend a quarter of the year at Motor Jikov in practical training, the mentors have identified the six most talented this year. The company awarded them a scholarship, which means a certain sum will be credited to each of their family accounts over a year, intended to motivate them during their studies. In return, they commit to joining the company after graduation. If they choose otherwise, they must return the scholarship.

“I really enjoy this field. Especially this year's internship. Last year, we worked in our school training center, but it was pretty boring. Here, there are real machines, real production,” says eighteen-year-old Jan Sedlák, one of the scholarship recipients. He is completing a three-year vocational program with an apprenticeship certificate but plans to continue with postgraduate studies to earn his leaving certificate. “It’s great that I won’t have to look for a job after school because I already have a place here,” he adds, returning to his work.