“At Axalta, we always have an eye on the future and are passionate about investing in it. One way in which we put this into practice is by partnering with universities and other institutes of higher education to work with students so they can develop the skills they need to become the professionals of tomorrow,” said Kolja Hosch, head of country human resources for Axalta in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), at the signing ceremony.
Through these affiliations Axalta actively supports young people in applying their knowledge in real-life business situations. The partnership provides students with the opportunity to have first-hand experiences in an exciting, successful, international company.
Ignacio González del Rey Rodríguez, general secretary of the University of Oviedo, has worked in close cooperation with Axalta to bring this partnership agreement and the prized internships that form the first part of it to fruition.
Rodríguez commented, “The agreement we have signed today with Axalta is important for our university. This type of relationship between academia and business is innovative in our region and one that we welcome. These internships offer our students an insight into a multinational work environment. They will be of immense value to our students, enabling them to leave university not only with theoretical knowledge, but also with practical skills they can take with them into their careers.”
The University of Oviedo is a public higher education and research institution in the Principality of Asturias, Spain. With a more than 400-year history, it offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate degrees in all areas, as well as postgraduate degree programs in collaboration with other national and international universities and more than 500 companies.
Axalta’s program with the University of Oviedo is part of a company-wide initiative to provide internships to students in fields of study that include business, science, technology, engineering and mathematics.