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Hosted jointly by the �������� (UD) and the local self-government, the Industry Day in Debrecen technical exhibition was attended mainly by engineering students and high school students about to start their careers at the Faculty of Engineering. They had a chance to learn about the products, services and job opportunities of 30 major industrial companies with interests in our city. The stalls and stands showcased state-of-the-art robots, packaging machines, electronic control units, car parts and go-karts, among other things. Meanwhile, experts from the Faculty of Engineering shared info and advice on further education, choosing a specialization and career planning. Those looking for internships, apprenticeships and jobs were also welcome, while this was a great opportunity to network directly with employers, too.

At the conference for professionals of the event, the focus was on mechatronics. The Rector of the �������� emphasized in his welcome speech that our institution is famous today for its close cooperation with almost five hundred companies from the competitive sector.

“We have a fast growing number of business cooperation systems, the largest of which is Debreceni Autóipari Klaszter Egyesület [Debrecen Automotive Cluster Association]. This network is based on the four-helix innovation system, which includes the Municipality of Debrecen, the ��������, a variety of companies as well as national and international financial institutions that support cooperation between them,” said Zoltán Szilvássy.

The head of our university emphasized that this institution would be no longer trying to implement its investments only from public funds and tenders.

“Today, if we want to do something, we would much quicker contact a company interested in doing it than a government organization. This is a change in the way the innovation system works here in Debrecen, which I think will benefit our region, our city and our university. I would very much prefer if we could count on each other in this respect in the future,” said the rector.

While presenting his institution and its activities, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering pointed out that the city of Debrecen has by now developed a full spectrum of technical education, with a straight path from primary school to university-level undergraduate, master's and doctoral studies.

“In general, we meet twice a year with the HR managers of various companies, so we can identify exactly what kind of employees the employers will need. Thus, we can adjust the number of students we need to recruit for specific majors in order to meet these needs. Let us not forget the fact that those we recruit this year will graduate as engineers in 2030,” said Géza Husi.

Apart from Debrecen, the courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering are also available in Oradea (Rumania) and Szolnok, soon to be joined by the location called Siófok Campus. Infrastructure is also constantly improving: the Faculty's campus on the street Ótemető has been extended by adding a new wing, and Automotive Research Center (Járműipari Kutatócentrum) will also be completed in the near future in the university industrial park situated next to Vezér street.

The headcount of students at the faculty is around 3200, of whom 902 come from 83 different countries. There are eight bachelor's and 11 master's degree programs offered here, with a total of 1933 courses advertised in them. The institution places great emphasis on dual education.

“We wish to play a more prominent part in international academic life, and the results of our efforts and activities are getting more and more visible. We already have officials in the largest organization of engineers. Our objective is to become a pre-eminent knowledge center of engineering in Central and Eastern Europe, or even in the whole of Europe later, and our soon-to-be-launched doctoral school may definitely help us achieve this,” said Géza Husi.

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at UD also pointed out that new, so-called micro-courses would be launched for graduates or for professionals who want to learn about just one subject, such as PLC programming.

At the meeting, the mayor of Debrecen said that he was convinced that the past 15 or 20 years would go down in the history of our city as the era of great industrialization, with the amount of capital invested during this period exceeding €12.5 billion.

“In recent years, both Debrecen and the �������� have experienced dynamic development, chiefly due to the strengthening of the local economy and industry. New educational institutions have also been established, such as the International School and the German School. However, the two most important factors for our city's economy are the Faculty of Engineering of the �������� and Debrecen’s Vocational Training Center, which have increased the number of students enrolled in Debrecen by 10,000 in ten years. Thanks and gratitude are due to the university's management for this kind of emphasis it places on corporate relations,” said László Papp.

The conference also featured talks and presentations by representatives of companies with interests in Debrecen, such as BMW, Beckhoff, Emerson | NI and Vitesco Technologies.

Press Centre - OCs