Game changer in vocational education: Electromobility is changing schools and industry

Industry is changing faster than the education system. Automation, digitalisation and electromobility are already changing manufacturing, servicing and the requirements for technical occupations. Companies therefore need not just graduates with vocational certificates or school-leaving qualifications, but people who can learn, understand connections and work with new technologies.

This was precisely the focus of the CEOVP – Changing the Game conference, which brought together schools, companies, the public sector and young people. For industry professionals, the most interesting question was how to prepare future technicians for manufacturing that already looks different from just a few years ago.

Electromobility Is Not Just About What Drives on the Roads

One of the main items on the programme was the panel “Electromobility – Revolution or Dead End?”, moderated by Michal Chabada. Industry experts also joined the discussion, including Patrik Križanský from SEVA, Martin Balco from Volkswagen Slovakia, Ivan Hílek from HÍLEK a spol. and Juraj Klepáčk from Hedin Automotive Slovakia.

The panel highlighted an important point: electromobility is not just about what drives on the roads today. Above all, it is about what is changing in factories.

From a maintenance perspective, an electric vehicle is simpler than a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. It has fewer mechanical parts, and many routine servicing tasks are no longer required. In practice, the main tasks that remain are checking the brake fluid, windscreen wipers and basic operating components.

However, this does not mean that electromobility is simple. Complexity is shifting towards battery systems, electronics, software, safety, thermal management and manufacturing itself.

The Change in Automotive Also Affects Plastics Processors

For car manufacturers, this is not just about replacing the engine. Electromobility is changing the entire supply chain. It affects component manufacturers, toolmakers, automation, electrical engineering, logistics and plastics processors.

Lucia Lednárová Dítětová

Electric vehicles bring new requirements for lightweight structures, battery system housings, insulating components, connectors, technical mouldings and materials capable of meeting demanding safety, thermal and quality requirements.

For the plastics industry, electromobility is therefore a much broader topic than the sale of electric cars. It is about materials, component design, plastics processing and suppliers' ability to respond to new automotive requirements.

Schools and Companies Must Build Closer Links

If manufacturing is changing, the way people are trained must change too. Dual education is particularly meaningful when students see technology not only in a textbook, but also in a real company environment.

This is where Centres of Excellence in Vocational Education and Training – CEOVP have an important role to play. Their aim is to strengthen digital skills and critical thinking, and better prepare students for professional practice.

From the left: Mgr. Klaudius Šilhár, PhD., Mgr. Bibiana Lazarová, Mgr. Mariana Mlčúchová, Mgr. Vladimír Pálfi, moderator Mgr. Monika Kubincová

What will be decisive, however, is whether more real company assignments, industry mentors and technologies that young people will also encounter when they enter employment can be incorporated into education.

Generation Z Needs Purpose, Not Platitudes

The programme also included a discussion on Generation Z, led by Ing. Milan Ráchela, head of the private automotive secondary vocational school of Duálna akadémia. An important message was that young people are not a problem, but an opportunity.

They communicate differently, have different expectations and often ask more questions about the purpose of their work. For companies, this can be challenging, but also useful. If they want to attract young people to technical fields, they must show them real technology, career prospects and concrete employment opportunities.

Simply saying that “technology has a future” is no longer enough. Young people need to see where they can progress and why their work matters.

Conclusion

The CEOVP – Changing the Game conference showed that vocational education is not just a matter for schools. It is also a matter for companies, manufacturing and the future competitiveness of industry.

Electromobility, digitalisation and automation are already changing the requirements for people working in manufacturing. If schools and companies are to respond, they must work together in a much more practical way than they have so far.

For industrial companies, including plastics processors, the message is clear: buying new technologies is not enough. They need people who understand them.