President and CEO of Kia Slovakia, Geon Won Shin and Rector of Technical University of Košice, prof. Ing. Stanislav Kmeť, DrSc. Signed a joint memorandum on education, science, cooperation and research activities. The aim is to provide support and find joint activities in the fields of mechanical engineering, Industry 4.0, steering, ergonomics and other automotive issues. The automaker will provide free internships, field trips, work experience and paid scholarships to university students. The memorandum enables creative activities for students working on their Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral theses. The Memorandum also emphasizes the importance of cooperation between academia and the automotive industry, which is undergoing dynamic development and transformation.

Geon Won Shin, President and CEO of Kia Slovakia, said, “With today’s signing of the Memorandum of Understanding at Kia’s manufacturing facility in Europe, we are formally launching a project that will bring many opportunities for both parties. We believe that the cooperation of experts from both organisations will soon show the first results in the field of education, science and research.”

“This partnership should lead to improving the quality of teaching, providing new opportunities for students, exchanging expertise and supporting research projects. Expanding the possibilities of cooperation with Kia Slovakia is very encouraging for us. This cooperation will enable us to provide practical outputs and development of education that will meet the current market requirements,” added prof. Ing. Stanislav Kmeť, DrSc., Rector of the Technical University of Košice.

Kia Europe President Won Jeong Jeong was also present at the signing ceremony. Kia Europe covers the brand’s activities in the region and strives to attract the best talent for all areas of the business. The presence of the President of Kia Europe underlines the importance of this topic for the Kia brand. The carmaker itself has declared its interest in cooperation with other universities.

University students are most likely to work at Kia in the fields of electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, but also in administration. As far as final theses are concerned, the field of occupational health and safety is largely represented.

Kia Slovakia is Kia Corporation’s only manufacturing plant in Europe. The plant was built between 2004 and 2006. Production of both cars and engines started in December 2006. Kia Slovakia employs 3700 people and produces Kia Ceed models in four body styles – Ceed, Sportswagon, ProCeed and Xceed. The second model is the Kia Sportage sport-utility vehicle. Kia Slovakia ltd is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters in Slovakia. Since the start of series production in December 2006, more than 4 million vehicles and more than 6 million engines have left the factory gates.

Technical University of Košice covers a wide range of educational needs not only for the region of Eastern Slovakia, but in many fields it is the only centre of science, research and education not only in Slovakia, but also in the Central European area. It cooperates closely with other universities and with the industrial background of the region and the whole of Slovakia. In recent years, the interest of foreign students in studying at TUKE has been increasing significantly, thus establishing TUKE as an important educational institution in the international area. Students from forty countries of the world study at the University.