The Zespół Szkół Mechanicznych in Bolesławiec organizes a number of initiatives every year to help graduates find work after completing school. In the 2011/12 school year, thanks to the activity of teachers carrying out the “Modernization of Vocational Education in Lower Silesia” project, ZSM students took part in vocational courses that concluded with state examinations.
Among other Bolesławiec schools organizing training, the “mechanic” school stands out because all its courses conclude with external state examinations, and the qualifications obtained by students are also recognized throughout the European Union—as evidenced by the qualification supplements received by the students, translated into German and English.
Currently, 15 students are taking a MAG welding course, which will conclude with an examination conducted by the Institute of Welding in Gliwice. Previously, 77 students obtained forklift operator qualifications, including the handling of gas cylinders, while 30 students obtained SEP electrical qualifications up to 1 kV. In total, this amounts to more than 120 training courses completed! This is the highest number among all Bolesławiec secondary schools, and it is only the first stage of the training program.
“Thanks to the knowledge I gained while studying at the ‘mechanic’ school and the additional qualifications I obtained by taking part in the project’s courses, I hope to get a good job,” says Karol Najdek.
“When I look through job offers, I see strong demand both for mechatronics and automation technicians and for workers with forklift and SEP electrical qualifications, as well as welders. This allows me to think calmly about finding a job after finishing school,” adds Adrian Rzepa, a final-year secondary-school student in the fourth year of the mechatronics technical program.
These are not the only measures improving the position of graduates of Bolesławiec’s “mechanic” school as they begin adult life. In addition, students of the mechatronics technical program can take specialist classes in operating and programming CNC machine tools, and every student in the third year of the automotive program can take a free Category B driving course—the only cost borne by students is the state examination fee. Thanks to such initiatives, ZSM has for many years been an institution whose graduates say: “Mechanic—the school that will get you a job.”
The latest initiatives at the “mechanic” school include launching, in cooperation with KGHM, a mining technician program and returning to the concept of an enterprise-sponsored school with practical classes, for which students will receive scholarships from their sponsoring companies. “But at this point, I would not like to reveal the details,” says Adam Maksymczyk, director of ZSM.
(information: ZSM/ii)