Škoda service training centre in Czech town

Škoda opened its new Service Training Centre in the Czech town of Kosmonosy. The building, located near Škoda’s Headquarters, is one of the most advanced training centres in the international automobile industry. It now combines the technical and business training for the brand's importers and dealers from all over the world. The new centre was built in only 14 months. Škoda has invested some EUR 6 million in the facility. The EU Structural Fund subsidised the project with an additional 2.5 million EUR. During the commissioning ceremony, Škoda’s chairman of the board, Prof. Dr. HC Winfried Vahland, emphasised the great significance of a qualified dealership network for the Growth Strategy 2018: “Following our sales record in 2011, we would like to continue to accelerate our expansion in the coming years. Competent and qualified partners are a key factor in sustained growth. Therefore, a growth campaign also requires a service campaign. Our new Service Training Centre marks an important turning point for a permanently strong and competent dealership network and another clear sign of the Škoda’s emergence.” Dealerships and workshops with the Škoda logo currently employ around 15,000 employees worldwide. In just over a year of construction, a modern, a multi-purpose, five-story building had been completed in Kosmonosy. “This centre is the central base for the service campaign for the coming years,” emphasises Jürgen Stackmann, the board member for Sales and Marketing. The training programme is focused in the areas of technology and processes, management and organisation, as well as IT and car body construction. Up to 200 people per day can be trained in theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The five floors accommodate various learning facilities, all equipped with the latest training and presentation technology. In addition to the numerous training rooms, there is also a video conference room, an archive, and a library. A body shop is available for training bodywork constructors. A presentation hall, seating 100 people, provides a great environment to comprehensively explain vehicles. The top floor is essentially one large conference hall. The partially open basement serves as a parking area for training vehicles, as a storage area, and the technical back-office of the building.