Press Releases

Student team AMECS from Spain (Madrid) won the Hyundai Skills for the Future Award 2016.

Madrid, Spain, 03 June 2016

Their innovative heating system helps you manage the temperature of your car cabin in a sustainable way through a mobile app, to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin without consuming fuel. A joint initiative between JA Europe and Hyundai Motor Europe, Skills for the Future aims to inspire a more entrepreneurial generation that can clearly connect their education and future careers, with a focus on sustainability in business.

 

[Madrid, 3 June 2016] The European final of the 2016 edition of the Hyundai Skills for the Future Award took place in Madrid on 1-2 June, where more than 100 students from 15 European countries competed and showcased their entrepreneurial achievements, linked to the theme of sustainability.  

Based in Madrid (Spain), Cesar Molina Sanchez and Hector Pascual Martinez from the CIFP won both the judges' votes and the audience award in the European Final, competing among the 15 winners of national awards. The jury panel praised the team's winning concept: an innovative system that can cool or heat a car cabin without consuming fuel. Judges said the system, controlled by a smartphone app, shows a new and efficient way to tackle an everyday issue for drivers in hot and cold climates. They were also impressed by AMECS's financial model and socially-sensitive business model. 

The winning duo shared their views on the experience, saying: “Thanks to Skills for the Future, we made our dream come true. We always wanted to work for the automotive industry and this project is leading us to new adventures in the sector. We are also delighted to see that other participants as well as Hyundai employees from Madrid elected us as the best mini company too. Winning both the audience and jury awards gives us more confidence as regards our future endeavours. We look forward to visit the offices of Hyundai Motor Europe in Frankfurt, a city dedicated to innovation and performance.”

Thomas A. Schmid, Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented: "The automotive industry is constantly looking for talented, skilled employees, so our Skills for the Future initiative aims to build up young people's competences in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. In this year's Award programme, we have seen great potential among the finalists. Congratulations to all participants, especially AMECS who earned the judges' votes for their innovative and sustainable approach to an issue that affects all car owners in Europe."

Since the start of Skills for the Future in 2012, the partnership between JA Europe and Hyundai Motor Europe has engaged over 10,000 students, mentored and supported by Hyundai Motor volunteers and teachers. Through their mini-company experience, students (from Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom) develop their own products and services related to the automotive industry fitting to a sustainable mindset, and follow the full lifecycle of a company. 

This year’s event featured a policy and industry stakeholder panel debate “Empowering vocational education for a better Europe.” Speakers included Mario Armero, President, ANFAC-Spanish Association of Automobile & Truck Manufacturers; Ann Branch, Head of Unit, Job Creation, DG Employment, European Commission; Enrique Calvet Chambon, Member of the European Parliament; David Fitzpatrick, Director PR & Brand Experience at Hyundai Motor Europe; and Pete Hodgson, President, EfVET - European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education & Training. They discussed desirable skills for employability as well as the role of vocational education in skills development and job creation. Speakers concluded that progress is still needed to address the skills mismatch and Europe’s competitiveness, calling for increased partnerships between education and business.

Caroline Jenner, JA Europe’s CEO concluded: “Millennials think differently about cars and mobility in general. In Skills for the Future, experienced professionals interact with young people, encouraging them to use their ingenuity and creativity to tackle some of the industry’s biggest challenges. It’s not about what’s now, it’s about what’s next.”

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About JA Europe

JA Europe is Europe’s largest provider of entrepreneurship education programmes, reaching 3.2 million students in 39 countries. JA Europe brings the public and private sectors together to provide young people in primary and secondary schools and early university with high-quality education programmes to teach them about enterprise, entrepreneurship, business and economics in a practical way. The JA Company Programme is recognised by the European Commission Enterprise Directorate General as a ‘Best Practice in Entrepreneurship Education’.

About Hyundai Motor Europe

 

In 2015, Hyundai Motor achieved registrations of 470,130 vehicles in Europe - an increase of 10.9% compared to 2014 - and replaced 80% of its model line-up to create the youngest car range in Europe. 90% of the vehicles Hyundai sold in the region are models designed, engineered, tested and built in Europe to meet the needs of European customers, served by the company’s extensive European infrastructure. This includes factories in the Czech Republic and Turkey with a combined annual capacity of 500,000 units. Hyundai Motor sells cars in 31 European countries through 2,500 outlets. 

More information about Hyundai Motor Europe and its products is available at www.hyundai.news

Follow Hyundai Motor Europe on Twitter @HyundaiEurope and Instagram @HyundaiNews.

 

For further information, please contact:

Mathilde Poncelet

Communications Manager, JA Europe

mathilde@jaeurope.org 

 

David Fitzpatrick

PR Director, Hyundai Motor Europe

+49-69-271472-460

dfitzpatrick@hyundai-europe.com  

 

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