Arctic launches TechPro Training Academy in collaboration with Koç University in Turkey and Valahia University in Romania

Arctic, the leader of the Romanian home appliance market, continues its investments in education and launches the TechPro Training Academy. The educational project is dedicated to the company’s employees, who will be able to participate online in courses on current technical topics.

TechPro Academy has been developed in collaboration with Koç University in Turkey and Valahia University in Targoviste, and the methodology is based on a specific learning and development experience, similar to an academy. The trainers are professors who teach in the two partner universities, and the courses will be held exclusively online.

The first beneficiaries of the academy’s courses will be approximately 140 Arctic employees, having a technical profile: managers, specialists and experts from the two factories and supply chain. The TechPro Academy curriculum is adapted to the needs of Arctic employees, and the addressed topics focus on the latest technological innovations and automation processes, which underlie the principles of Industry 4.0 – the fourth industrial revolution. The courses will start in mid-September, with the management group, which will be taught, in English, by professors from Koç University. These will take place online, between September 15-25th. The courses dedicated to specialists and technical experts will be held in November and will be taught, in Romanian, by professors of Valahia University.

“The launch of TechPro Academy is another proof of the concern we have for the professional development of employees, education being, in fact, one of the priorities of our company. I support such initiatives dedicated to the specialization of people, which offers them a real learning experience and, at the same time, ensures their contribution to the development of Romania’s competitive sectors in the current economic context. I want to thank for the involvement of the two higher education institutions, Koç University and Valahia University”, stated Murat Büyükerk, Chief Executive Officer Arctic.

“The very competitive market context constantly challenges us to think of new programs that support the relationship between the professional development of employees and the business environment. In the recent years, we have focused on actions consolidated on and adapted to the needs of our employees, and the results are visible, as today we ranking first in Top Employers in production in southwestern Romania”, stated Maria Tătaru, HR Director Arctic.

Prof. İrşadi Aksun, Vice President of Research and Development, Koç University stated the following regarding the collaboration: “As Koç University, we are very proud to be the provider of TechPro Academy, a perfect example of university – industry collaboration between Koç University and Arçelik A.Ş. since 2017, and we are now very excited to reach out to Arçelik Romania teams with our online trainings, efficiently executed by our Executive Education Programs Unit.

TechPro Academy, with its business-oriented content, is highly significant in terms of translating the academic knowledge and experience into business practice. All our trainings are delivered in a holistic approach by combining research, case studies and discussions, and all our training participants find great opportunity to learn the recent developments in technology and engineering from our reputable academicians. Thus, so far, we have gotten very positive feedback from the participants, showing that experiential learning has been highly achieved with TechPro Academy. Furthermore, for our academicians, the Program is highly informative and nourishing in terms of listening to the industry needs at first hand, leading to a win-win learning experience in the full sense of the word.

I believe that our valuable collaboration with Arçelik will gain momentum with our upcoming Romania Team trainings, as the significance of learning organizations is gaining more and more importance in today’s increasingly changing world”.

“New manufacturing technologies, smart materials, automation solutions and modern production lines, technologies that respond to multiple conditions and dynamic changes in the manufacturing process, digitization, complex databases and real time decisions – these are some of the challenges we will be debating at TechPro Academy. We are honored to be part of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 together with Arctic S.A. and, thus, to start a new stage of the 15 years collaboration between Arctic and Valahia University”, said Henri-George COANDA, Lecturer, Ph.D. Engineer and Vice-Rector – Education and Quality Assurance, Valahia University of Targoviste

TechPro Academy is a long-term initiative through which Arctic invests in the training of its employees. In 2021, the number of courses will increase, so that all employees with a technical profile can benefit from development opportunities. The academy was born as an extension of the partnership that Arçelik group has with Koc University in Turkey, and for Arctic this project is part of the long-term strategy of collaboration and mutual support with Valahia University – Targoviste.

Arctic, the leader of the Romanian household appliances market, is one of the strongest companies in Romania and at the same time one of the most important employers and exporters of Romania. With approximately 4,300 employees, the company exports 79% of the total production to over 78 countries.

With a history of almost half a century, Arctic has been part of the Arçelik group since 2002, a period in which both its turnover and production capacity increased significantly.

The company owns the largest home appliance factory in continental Europe, with the Gaesti unit producing up to 36 million refrigerators to date. It also owns the only Industry 4.0 factory in Romania and one of the few in Europe, the factory in Ulmi, Dambovita, with a production capacity of 2.2 millions units per year.