The two-year course, with between 700 and 1,000 teaching hours in the company, began on Wednesday with around twenty students who will combine the theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom with paid internships. In fact, students of all ages noted that, in addition to the practical component, the Higher Technician in Industrial Mechatronics course will help them to grow professionally within the company itself.
The Higher Technician in Industrial Mechatronics course, with which Tafalla Iron Foundry collaborates, was presented this Wednesday at the Polytechnic Center (CIP) of Tafalla. “This is the star cycle of our Intensive Dual Vocational Training”, highlighted the director of the center, Carlos Pernaut. The program, in which twenty students have already started, lasts two years and between 700 and 1,000 teaching hours in the company, during which the students will combine the theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom with paid internships.
Luis Calatayud, General Director of Vocational Training, Digitalization and Educational Services of the Government of Navarra, attended the launching of the project, in what is “a clear demonstration of the support” of the Government of Navarra to this type of projects. Together with Calatayud, the presence of Sonia García, director of the Vocational Training Planning and Integration Service; Mariví Macaya, representing the teaching staff of CIP Tafalla, as well as a large delegation from Tafalla Iron Foundry also stood out. Among the latter were the president of its Governing Council, Lucas Álvarez; the HR director, Ignacio Ugalde; José Antonio Molina, industrial director; and the head of Quality, Ana Catalán. Also in attendance was Susana Grocin, manager of the Association of Companies of the Central Zone of Navarra (AEZMNA).
Ugalde highlighted how, in collaboration with the Polytechnic Center, they will contribute to “avoid the decapitalization” of this area of Navarra, providing “qualified talent, which is increasingly in demand”. “Our goal is to strengthen social and territorial cohesion, supporting training in an innovative discipline that will enable students to access new job opportunities and improve their quality of life,” he said.
Along the same lines, Catalán recalled that they maintain their commitment to incorporate those who complete the planned cycle “as long as they meet the necessary technical conditions and fulfill the profiles required by the company”. Meanwhile, José Antonio Molina linked both purposes to the cooperative values that define them as a Social Economy company integrated in the Mondragon Corporation and specialized in the manufacture of components (blocks and cylinder heads, above all) for automotive, commercial and industrial vehicle applications. “With this project, we firmly believe in the possibilities offered by Dual Vocational Training and the cooperative and Social Economy model with which we instruct the new generations”, he stressed.
In addition, Álvarez, apart from welcoming the students who are going to participate in this training program, acknowledged “the good understanding and collaboration” they have found in CIP Tafalla to launch a project “that seeks the common benefit of the Middle Zone of Navarra”, he added.
Moreover, Pernaut mentioned the eminently practical nature of the course while thanking Tafalla Iron Foundry for having approached the educational field to help in the development of a FP adapted to the changing demands in which the labor market moves. “You have chosen very well because this cycle is extraordinary,” he said addressing the attendees.
Meanwhile, Calatayud, on behalf of the Government of Navarra, shared Pernaut’s assessment and recalled that of the 707 Vocational Training groups that have been formed for this course in Navarra, only four are Intensive Dual FP, “and of those, one is here in Tafalla”. The general director of Vocational Training, Digitalization and Educational Services confirmed, on the other hand, that this type of training programs, such as the one proposed by CIP and Tafalla Iron Foundry, are “a reference” of the new training model “closer to the company” that both the Government of Navarre and the central Executive want to promote.
THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS
The event ended with a few words from two students who are part of this first promotion of the Higher Technician in Industrial Mechatronics course. Kerman Buñuales (Caparroso, 18 years old) said that he expects to learn a lot because, after having spent the last three years on Erasmus in Germany, “what you learn in the classroom is not the same as what you learn on the machine”.
Finally, Sergio Mogollón (Carcastillo, 40 years old) highlighted the work-life balance facilities for studying provided by Tafalla Iron Foundry (a company where he has worked since 2006 and of which he is a partner). “It’s going to cost me because I have to get back into the habit of studying, but I am clear that my goal is to acquire a series of knowledge and skills to achieve greater promotion within the company,” he concluded.
