Bosch improves education of engineers

Miskolc – The eight students in the Bosch Lean Academy, which started under a collaboration between the University of Miskolc, Robert Bosch Energy and Body Systems Kft. and the Lean Enterprise Institute Hungary in autumn 2014, have passed their second academic year. Dr Frank-Stephan Kupfer, commercial plant manager of Robert Bosch Energy and Body Systems Kft. of Miskolc, said that students were coming out of higher education with excellent knowledge but generally little practical experience. “Bosch needs engineers who can rapidly assess and understand problem situations and use lean techniques to find the solution for the challenges that arise. They must work in a team and communicate their results clearly to everybody. We support them to learn these skills in their school years.”

Over the last two semesters, the students have been educated by four Bosch mentors and experts of the Lean Enterprise Institute Hungary, who in addition to passing on lean knowledge have nurtured the kind of skills and abilities that have shown up as constantly lacking in job interviews over the years. Among these are problem-solving skills and methods and the ability to work in a team. Presentation skills, self-reflection and project management are also essential competences in the multicultural environment of a world-class company. The third year of the pilot project will start in autumn with a maximum of fifteen students. A standalone two-year dual lean master’s course is planned to start up in autumn 2017.

A new element in the last academic year was the opportunity for a group of students to present their project work at the annual Lean Conference on 23 June, held by the Lean Enterprise Institute Hungary. The profession greatly appreciated the students’ presentations and made very positive comments, so much that John Shook, president of the Lean Enterprise Institute spent a visit to Miskolc. There, he inspected the projects of the Bosch Lean Academy and swapped experiences with the students and mentors. Shook said he knew of very few comparable initiatives anywhere in the world.

Bosch Lean Academy
The Bosch Lean Academy has spread practical-oriented dual training, previously applied only at secondary level, into higher education. Bosch collaborates with the leading body of the lean profession, the Lean Enterprise Institute Hungary, in designing and implementing the practical training. Students in the Bosch Lean Academy go through high-level university teaching but also receive valuable practical skills.

The classroom phase of lean training in the current specialisation course and the planned master’s course take place in the University of Miskolc, where Bosch experts regularly give lectures. The students attend simulation training in the company training facilities of Robert Bosch Energy and Body Systems Kft. There, they practise on tasks in a “laboratory” environment without commercial risk, and later move on to real tasks in the Bosch plant in Miskolc, for real value-creating projects. There is also help for the students from heads of Bosch departments and a mentor team of corporate staff. Four days of classroom teaching is followed by one practical day.

What is lean?
Lean is a corporate organisation and management system aimed at enabling companies to deliver products and services as economically as possible. A lean company basically arranges its activities on the basis of what represents value for the customer. It is in the automotive industry that the lean technique is most widespreat, and is still spreading. Bosch has been involved in this process for many years, and the Bosch Lean Academy trains students in up-to-date lean skills before they come out of the university.