Last September, Adam Maksymczyk, head of the Zespół Szkół Mechanicznych in Bolesławiec, took part in a seminar held at KGHM in Lubin. “We were presented with a long-term development concept for the complex,” says Maksymczyk. “That was when I realized there was a huge chance that a KGHM mine would be established in Bolesławiec County.”

During the seminar, the head of the “mechanic” school proposed to Herbert Wirth, president of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., that a Mining Technical School class be established at Bolesławiec’s ZSM. “After that, I met seven more times with representatives of the copper giant,” Adam Maksymczyk recounts. The result? On September 14 this year, representatives of KGHM and the Bolesławiec County Office signed a letter of intent.

Podpisanie listu intencyjnego o współpracy w zakresie przygotowania wykwalifikowanej kadry dla potrzeb regionu, w tym dla KGHM Polska Miedź S.A Od lewej: wiceprezesa zarządu W. Kędzia, starosta C. Przybylski, prezes zarządu – H. Wirth i A. Trusiak dyrektorka Departamentu Zarządzania SzkoleniamiPodpisanie listu intencyjnego o współpracy w zakresie przygotowania wykwalifikowanej kadry dla potrzeb regionu, w tym dla KGHM Polska Miedź S.A Od lewej: wiceprezesa zarządu W. Kędzia, starosta C. Przybylski, prezes zarządu – H. Wirth i A. Trusiak dyrektorka Departamentu Zarządzania Szkoleniami • Grażyna Hanaf

The document states:

The parties declare their willingness to conduct joint activities in the following areas:

  1. Adjusting educational fields to the needs of the copper industry.
  2. Applying for the establishment of new types of schools, occupations and specializations in accordance with the current and future needs of the copper industry.
  3. Supporting the recruitment of teaching staff for the school, particularly for teaching specialized vocational subjects and practical vocational training.
  4. Supporting and assisting the school in amending the curricula for vocational subjects by providing technical and operating documentation, instructions, regulations, new technologies and studies concerning diploma projects.
  5. Organizing and conducting vocational internships at KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. branches, in accordance with separately adopted agreements/contracts.
  6. Assisting in finding new vocational internship placements at companies cooperating with KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.
  7. Raising funds for educational purposes under the principles of partnership cooperation.
  8. Cooperating with the Bolesławiec County Labour Office on conducting and organizing activation programs for graduates of mining, mechanical and mechatronic schools registered with the Bolesławiec County Labour Office.

In September, a Mining Technical School class began operating at the Bolesławiec institution. “There was a great deal of interest in it. We had far more applicants than we could accept,” Maksymczyk emphasizes.

There are 32 students in Class I MTS, including Katarzyna Marecka, incidentally the only girl at the Zespół Szkół Mechanicznych. “I have always been interested in technical fields,” says the ZSM student. “I chose the Mining Technical School because I want to work as a geologist in a mine.”

Katarzyna Marecka i Adam MaksymczykKatarzyna Marecka i Adam Maksymczyk • GA

The Lubin-based company pledged to co-finance the mining class. “However, I hope that our cooperation with KGHM will not end there,” Adam Maksymczyk notes. “I hope this cooperation will produce significant results. The school has taken responsibility for educating the middle-level technical staff for the complex. I am certain that 100% of our graduates will find jobs without any problems and that when the KGHM mine is established in our county, we will have highly trained employees here.”

According to the head of ZSM, signing the letter of intent is highly beneficial not only for the “mechanic” school, where future employees of the complex’s mines are being trained, but also for the entire county.

(information: ii; header photo: www.kghm.pl)