Summary of the Talent Hub initiative
One hundred students, thirteen events in eight companies - this is how another year of the Talent Hub initiative addressed to students of the Silesian University of Technology can be briefly summed up.
It all started with an idea and the will to act. Dr Hab. Małgorzata Dobrowolska, Prof. SUT, representing the Business School of the Silesian University of Technology, together with the director of the Silesia Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing Cluster - Łukasz Górecki, decided to offer students additional practical classes in companies. Why?
Companies that operate in Poland in the automotive and modern technology sectors want to present new opportunities related to employee development, which result from changes and constant improvements that go towards digitalization, robotization, and the use of the latest materials and technologies. Employers emphasize that social and personal competencies, such as self-confidence, self-presentation skills, fluent communication, ability to cooperate, and creativity, are becoming more and more important.
At the same time, HR departments of companies associated in the Cluster are happy to share knowledge and experience related to the labour market - how to prepare for a job interview, how to plan your career path? Do social media matter in the recruitment process? And what about artificial intelligence?
Eight companies joined the #SlaskiTalentHUB Initiative:
- Boryszew SA Maflow branch in Tychy
- Drim Robotics Sp. z o.o.
- Johnson Matthey
- KIRCHHOFF Automotive Poland
- PROPOINT S.A.
- Rockwell Automation Sp. z o.o.
- Seifert Polska Sp. z o.o.
- ZF Automotive Systems Poland Sp. z o.o. Electronics Department and Engineering Centre.
The visits to the companies focused not only on learning about technical issues, but also on learning about the organizational culture and wondering whether I would actually like to work in such a company. What will my options be? Chances? Dangers? What are my strengths to develop?
Here is what students have already been able to benefit from under the Talent Hub initiative in the period from October 2023 to June 2024:
- How to communicate with a cobot? – we started with interesting future workshops at Drim Robotics Sp. z o. o
- Johnson Matthey revealed the secrets of the competences of the future in an international company during a Plant Tour in the company and critical thinking workshops.
- Boryszew SA company The Maflow branch in Tychy organized a lunch, but it was not an ordinary lunch in Tychy - only an online tour in English enabling meetings with representatives of numerous company branches around the world. Moreover, several students got involved in a competition based on technical knowledge, based on cooperation with Engineers from the company, which was rewarded with free trips for a few days to the Branch in Spain. Reports from the stay will be available on social media of the Silesian University of Technology in September.
- ZF Automotive Systems Poland Sp. z o. o. visited the University to support students in preparing for job interviews - which, as you can see, was needed, because the students left the room with smiles on their faces.
- PROPOINT SA invited students to the training cell for training in industrial robot programming. There were as many as three editions of this training! Students will now be able to consider whether they want to work with robots.
- Seifert Polska Sp. z o. o. organized a visit to the company and workshops encouraging people to work in logistics. There were competitions and interesting tasks to solve. We also managed to organize two editions of this event.
- Rockwell Automation Sp. z o. o. invited two groups of students to two of its locations. During the first event, there was a presentation of the company and its paperless beginnings, a tour of one of the most automated production lines in the form of a Plant Tour, as well as a workshop on creating new solutions and visualization of specific indicators and parameters related to technological lines.
The next event focused on a visit to the Customer Technical Support Centre (including laboratories), where students had the opportunity to gain practical experience in working with equipment and learn about microcontrollers.
- Students also visited ZF Automotive Systems Poland Sp. z o. o Electronics Department and Engineering Centre in Częstochowa, where workshops on programming in Phyton were held. The Group of Engineers talked about the details of work on programming and improving cameras, radars, braking systems and "super computers" for the automotive and advanced manufacturing sectors.
The initiative included not only study visits.
The companies revealed the secrets of their work, but also shared knowledge and skills. Students often had the opportunity to take part in workshops conducted by companies during on-boarding. During the year, we also managed to create a community of students interested in #SlaskiTalentHUB , the automotive sector, but also internships, internships or work in companies associated with the SA&AM Cluster run by the Katowice Special Economic Zone SA
Together we also took part in the international ESOF conference dedicated to the development of science, organized by the city of Katowice.
What pleases me most, as a Labor Market Expert in the Katowice Special Economic Zone SA, is that students call and write, asking if there is a chance of employment in one of the eight companies that have undertaken to engage in the joint Initiative. In small steps, we get to know each other better and we can create a common future.
Therefore, we invite you to the next planned events! Our snowball has gained momentum!
Text: Monika Bezak - Labor Market Expert, Katowice Special Economic Zone SA
