Well-educated people are the future for the state and companies
Date: 18. 6. 2010
Source: Právo daily newspaper
Interview of the Právo daily journal and Mr. Miroslav Fiala – the Chairmen of the Board of Directors and General Director of ŠKODA JS
* ŠKODA JS, in consortium with Russian companies Atomstroexport and Gidropress, applies for the oportunity to complete two other units of the Temelín nuclear power plant. However, there are opinions that a lack of qualified staff in this field is impending. Is there anything that can be done about this?
I often hear expert opinions that there is going to be enough orders, but there won´t be anyone to execute them. Good professionals are the key for the ability of producing and supplying. At present our production is so complicated that all workmen have completed secondary school. That is why our company needs and wants to support education at both universities and secondary schools.
* Which schools in particular do you cooperate with?
We cooperate for example with the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň or with the Czech Technical University in Prague. Since 2007 we have also cooperated with PORG Prague grammar school, which by the way considers the possibility of founding its branch in Plzeň. For young people in the West-Bohemian region this could improve the possibilities of reaching good education and asserting. We also support the Techmania science center which is supposed to convince young people at primary and secondary schools to prefer studying of technical fields. Furthermore we cooperate with the education fund of the Committee of Good Will - Olga Havel Foundation whose scholarship holders study at technical schools as well. Who else should complete the Temelín if not Czech company? In the Czech Republic, there are at present four units in Dukovany and two in Temelín in operation. All these units have been constructed by Czech companies with utilization of Russian technology and some specialized supplies. However, the generation of specialists who participated in construction of these power plants is growing old and leaving. The only way is that we keep bringing up new skilled generations.
* How do you support the schools?
We try to support specific programs or students of these schools. The support is partly financial, further our specialists work at these schools as extern lecturers. Students come to our company for trainee-ship or elaborate diploma thesis connected with our field and guided by our employees.
* How many new employees would you engage if you win the tender for the Temelín completion?
When the company participated on construction of nuclear power plants in Czech and Slovak Republic, it had up to 1,500 employees. At present we employ about 1,000, therefore we talk about many qualified employees.
* Except for Atomstroyexport, ŠKODA JS also cooperates with the other two participants in the tender – American Westinghouse and French Areva. Why did you decide to participate just in a consortium with Atomstroyexport?
For 35 years our company has been working with the VVER technology and just this type of reactor is what we offer in the tender in consortium with Atomstroyexport and Gidropress. The biggest scope of our participation is possible just in case of use of VVER technology, because that is what we are most experienced in. Not only ŠKODA JS but other tens of Czech companies in this field. Moreover, we also may get a chance to participace in other foreign projects of Atomstroyexport. The VVER technology is often labeled as „Russian technology“ and it is often in mistake indicated as different technology than the one used by the competition. The truth is that the technology is identical, it is a pressurized water reactor which only has different name at a different company.
* What participation on the works shall the Czech companies have in case of win of your consortium?
At this project we assume that the participation of the Czech companies shall be at least 70%. I am not sure what wouldit be in case of the win of other project, but the number would definitely not be so high. Even during the course of the tender we need to contact companies which could participate in the completion of the two units of Temelín. ŠKODA JS has already addressed about 30 companies, these are for example producers of mechanical technologies, fittings, air conditioning, heavy-current engineering, civil construction companies etc.. If the Czech economics will not be based on new constructed well-performing industrial companies, we cannot manage to get our country out of financial difficulties. The way through assembly shops leads to hell because it can only increase employment in short term. As soon as the owner of such assembly shop finds out that the plant may threaten its competitiveness because of the amount of the wages, he will simply move the production somewhere else. Only highly qualified work, as in the field of power industry, can assure the future. Future for the state, companies and qualified employees.