This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at La ETSI de Bilbao proporciona 120 especialistas para sectores claves de la economía vasca

This industrial activity is one of the few that is growing in the context of the crisis

The ETSI of Bilbao provides 120 specialists for key sectors of the Basque economy

Editorial Interempresas27/02/2014

The Classroom Machine-Tool of the Upper Technical School of Engineering of Bilbao, one of the academic initiatives more successful of this educational centre, has celebrated the annual ceremony of delivery of diplomas. To the time that the 24 students of the fifth promotion received his awards, the enrolled in the sixth concluded the phase of seminars and began to incorporate to the companies and technology centres to realizar his practices and project of end of career. In these five editions, the Classroom has formed to a total of 120 titled highly qualified for key sectors of the Basque economy.

The machine-tool constitutes a key sector for the Basque industry since, on the one hand, the Basque companies represent around 80% of the sector in the State, in an activity characterised by the high degree of internationalisation (more than 75% of the production exports ) and the high technological component. The importance of the sector comes given likewise for treating of a key supplier for other industrial states with big weight in the Basque industry, such as the one of automotive sector, the aeronautical sector component manufacturing sector component manufacturing or the one of components of precision. Some companies of the sector find in a very good moment, since they have known to prepare his system to satisfy the most demanding markets.

To fault of definite figures, estimates that the value of the total production of the machine-tool in the State has grown in 2013 5,64% in relation to the previous year, and that the exports have increased in 5,42% in the same period. The subsector more dynamic has been the one of machines of deformation (+8,8% in turnover), followed of the of machines of start (+7%). It treats of figures that contrast with the generality of the industrial states, although along the crisis the majority of the companies have suffered a lot, and still are far to be able to speak of a situation of recovery generalised.

Iñaki Goirizelaia, rector of the UPV/EHU, congratulates to one of the titled in the Classroom Machine-Tool

The exporting propensity of the sector in his group surpasses again 80%, and the machines-tool reach figures above 90%. It is to stand out that the sector of machines-tool and technologies of manufacture contributes a net surplus in the commercial scales of more than 700 million euros, spectacular figure so much in absolute terms like relative regarding other activities. Regarding the state market, is registering a mejoría, but evolving from figures very low. In any case, the entrance of requests (+75%) improvement for the state market for the first time in two years, and the levels of industrial activity have changed slightly of tendency.

Labour insertion

The Classroom Machine-Tool of the Upper Technical School of Engineering of Bilbao, directed to the students of the last courses of the specialitys of Industrial Engineering, Automatic and Industrial Electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers, was created in 2009 with a double purpose. On the one hand, it offers to the youngsters the possibility to complete his learning in an only simultaneous course to the last year of career; and, by another, facilitates the realisation of practices and Projects of End of Career in companies or technology centres, what promotes his labour insertion.

The companies collaborators are leaders in the sectors of the Machine-Tool or of his users, and between them find signatures like Etxe Tar, Susensa, Lan-Bi, Danobat, Onapres, Azpiaran, Metal Estalki, Matrici, ITP SA, Fagor Arrasate, Ibarmia, Fresmak, Aciturri and others. Part of the formative program is to charge of pertinent professionals of technology centres like Tekniker-IK4, Ideko-IK4 or Tecnalia, as well as of companies leaders like Design-3D and Fagor Arrasate. Besides, the Association of manufacturers of Machine-Tool (AFM) supports the initiative facilitating diverse activities and the realisation of practices.

Another factor that has been essential in the success of this academic initiative of the School has been the support of the institutions, especially the backrest of the Basque Government -through his departments of Industry and of Education- and of the Department of Economic Promotion of the Deputation Foral of Biscay.

To the act assisted the rector of the UPV/EHU, Iñaki Goirizelaia; the director of AFM, Xabier Ortueta; the director of Universities of the Basque Government, Javier Alonso; the director of Technology and Strategy of the Basque Government, Leyre Bilbao; the boss of the Service of Employment and Promotion of the Talent of the Deputation Foral of Biscay, Maite Eguskizaga, and the director of the School, Enrique Amezua.

Quality of the education given and cases of success

The Classroom offers skilled learning for a multidisciplinary activity around the Technologies Advanced of Manufacture, in which confluyen the processes of mechanised, design, automation, innovation and management of technologies of the information. His adecuación to the needs of the companies has allowed, on the one hand, accelerate the labour incorporation of professional youngsters, at the same time that has facilitated that some of the best academic files of the Upper Technical School of Engineering of Bilbao have opted for working in key sectors of the Basque economy.

Good proof of the quality of the education given is the fact that the practical whole of the students of previous editions of the Classroom finds working in the same companies that received them initially, or in other related with technicians of manufacture.