A new vocational training center has come about in Mindelheim with the establishment of the technical school, costing more than 5.3 million euros, and located directly adjacent to the existing vocational school. Mechanical engineering is the specialty taught in the school with a focus on mechatronics and automation technology. The Burkhart Grob Technical School is part of the Mindelheim Vocational School. As a state-supported school, the Free State of Bavaria is responsible for paying for the faculty; upkeep of the school and other expenses are covered by the administrative district of Unterallgäu.
Generous donation put pressure on politics
Dr. Burkhart Grob put the “Technical School in Mindelheim” project in motion when he made a public announcement of a multimillion-euro donation in support of the effort during the visit of the Bavarian State Premier in the spring of 2013. “Then things went very rapidly”, stated Unterallgäu District Administrator Hans-Joachim Weirather. “Only six months later, the technical school could start operation in the facilities of the Mindelheim Vocational School. A vigorous, ambitious achievement – including completion after only two years”, he declared proudly. Even Treasury Secretary Franz Josef Pschierer mentioned it as one of the “quickest decisions and most rapid implementations ever”. Or, as the Mindelheim newspaper noted after the ceremony: “suddenly it was full steam ahead ...”.
Special focus on GROB's vocational training
The training of young people has always been a special interest of Dr. Burkhart Grob. In 1968, immediately after completion of the GROB plant in Mindelheim, he arranged for the rapid development of a first-class apprenticeship program where to-date, almost 1,500 experts have been trained. In both Brazil and America, GROB's vocational training with its dual system has made history and has become a model for an entire industry. Even the new GROB factory in Dalian, China, is offering dual training following the German example. Professor Dr. Hans-Eberhard Schurk, President of the Augsburg University of Applied Sciences, was invited to give a dedicatory speech. In the context of the establishment of the technical school, he cited the famous scientist Alexander von Humboldt, who, in the 19th century, placed high value on the imparting of practical skills. “Mindelheim has become a sustainable seat of learning with its new vocational training center”, the professor said in praise.
For additional information:
www.memmingen-online24.de/mindelheim-burkhart-grob-technikerschule-feierlich-eingeweiht-8875/
mindelmedia-news.de/mindelheim-in-rekordzeit-fertiggestellt-neue-technikerschule-in-mindelheim-eingeweiht/
www.allgaeu-tv.de/programm/tv_sendungen/atv_nachrichten/art72,609
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