EuroSkills 2008, Europe’s leading skill competition for students, will take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from 18 to 20 September 2008. Ten students from Toyota’s Technical Education Programme (T-TEP) will participate in the Light Vehicles Technician Competition.
T-TEP is the first global training programme of its kind by an automaker. It was founded in 1990 to deliver high quality technical education to aspiring automotive technicians and improve employability. The programme provides support via teaching tools, such as simulators and engine cutaways, as well as e-learning materials and teacher training. In the 2007 financial year, Toyota invested almost €4 million in T-TEP. In 2007 there were 12,276 graduates from 226 T-TEP schools in 23 European countries.
“The need for high quality technical education is of critical importance to both Toyota, as a local employer, and to Europe, where there is pressing social need for sustainable job growth,” said Massimo Nordio, Vice-President of After Sales at Toyota Motor Europe. “Through T-TEP, we aim to develop highly-educated technicians with the necessary know-how and practical experience to grow our company and the automotive industry as a whole.”
EuroSkills 2008 is the first pan-European skills competition for students enrolled in trade courses. More than 400 competitors will showcase their skills across 49 different trades. The EuroSkills competition will provide unique opportunities for the development of new and attractive ways of promoting skilled labour to industry and trade careers to youth. Toyota Motor Europe is a proud sponsor of EuroSkills 2008 through the Toyota Fund for Europe.
Students and their families will be given the opportunity to watch each stage of the competition. They can also speak one-on-one with Toyota professionals for a practical insight into the life of a vehicle technician and career progression within the automotive industry or learn about the newest automotive technology hands-on. Also on display will be Toyota’s Formula 1 truck, where visitors can drive the F1 simulator and take part in the “pit stop challenge”.
For more details about EuroSkills, please visit: www.euroskills2008.eu/en
