Axalta Coating Systems has signed a partnership agreement with the largest university of applied sciences in Austria to offer one student per year an Axalta scholarship. The scholarship will support the student over a three-year Bachelor of Science degree in High Tech Manufacturing at FH Campus Wien in Vienna, Austria.

In addition, Axalta is giving selected students the opportunity of internships in positions related to their fields of study. During the students’ tenure, senior management will take on supervisory and mentoring roles as the students prepare their final theses.

“To continue innovating, we need people in the marketplace who are proficient in the so-called STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” says Kolja Hosch, Head of Country Human Resources for Axalta’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region. “We want to offer students the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in these areas. And we are keen to back this support not only with Axalta’s own facilities and teams in Austria, but also with practical experience and advice. The students can then apply their theoretical knowledge in real life and build on the experience to establish a successful career.”

Axalta will invite students of the University on a plant tour of either its site in Guntramsdorf or its Refinish Training Center in Oeynhausen, both close to Vienna.

Heimo Sandtner, Vice Rector for Research and Development and Head of High Tech Manufacturing at FH Campus Wien, says, “Both Axalta and our University have the same aim: to give students the best chance of finding suitable work after they complete their degree. This agreement signed today creates the perfect pre-conditions to enable them to do just that.”

The Axalta scholarship at FH Campus Wien is just one of a number of global education projects the company has entered into jointly with academic institutions worldwide, which are designed to promote and to build the skills to help young people meet the demands of the future job market.