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Krakow University of Technology and PKP Intercity Sign Agreement of Cooperation. What Is the Main Goal?

Krakow University of Technology and PKP Intercity Sign Agreement of Cooperation. What Is the Main Goal?
photo: PKP Intercity/Krakow University of Technology and PKP Intercity Sign Agreement of Cooperation. What Is the Main Goal?
15 / 12 / 2022

Student internships and apprenticeships, study visits, specialist lectures, courses and training, dual majors and specialisations, as well as joint research and development projects and the promotion of ecological travel – these are the most vital points in the agreement on scientific, technical and educational cooperation between the Krakow University of Technology and PKP Intercity SA. The agreement was signed on December 12 by the university's Rector, Professor Andrzej Białkiewicz, and a member of the PKP Intercity management board, Krzysztof Świerczek.

PKP Intercity is Poland's largest rail operator, operating an average of 400 long-distance and international trains daily. It provides transport between major cities and popular tourist destinations in the country, connects smaller centres with agglomerations, and is also developing its offer of international connections. In the coming years, as part of its expanded investment strategy 'PKP Intercity - Railway of Large Investments', it intends to spend PLN 27 billion on modern rolling stock and environmentally friendly stopping stations. For such ambitious plans to be implemented, it needs specialist engineering staff and an exchange of knowledge and experience with the scientific community.

"Krakow University of Technology, with its team of experts in the transport industry and its wide range of courses and specialisations dedicated to the railway market, can offer a great deal here. That is why I am convinced that our cooperation with PKP Intercity is a great opportunity for both sides," says the Rector of the Krakow University of Technology, Prof. Andrzej Białkiewicz. "Our students will gain practical knowledge and skills during their studies through internships, placements or study visits to the company, getting to know its infrastructure, technical facilities, traffic management systems and modern rolling stock. We are also keen to take advice from the company's specialists when modernising our training programmes and developing our educational offer. We already have faculties and specialisations conducted in cooperation with the railway industry, and we are open to extending them following the needs of employers," stresses the Rector of the Krakow University of Technology.

"We are deeply convinced that rail is the transport of the future. That is why in developing our offer and implementing the biggest investment programme in the company's history, we reach for the best specialists. Establishing cooperation with the Kraków University of Technology is a huge step in this direction. We are extremely pleased with the vision of working with the scientific community, as both parties will benefit from it. For us, a constant flow of high-class specialists is a guarantee of consistent strengthening of our staff, which will translate directly into an increasingly higher level of services provided by us," says Krzysztof Świerczek, a Member of the Management Board of PKP Intercity.

The subject of the agreement is also scientific and technical cooperation, mutual substantive support and continuous exchange of experience for the benefit of development and research in the railway industry, e.g., by carrying out joint scientific and research projects, preparing analyses and expert opinions, organising study visits for the university's scientific staff to Intercity's organisational units.

"Our experts in the fields of civil, mechanical and electrical engineering support the development of the railway sector in Poland in many areas, and we will share this valuable experience in cooperation with PKP Intercity," emphasises Professor Andrzej Białkiewicz, Rector of the Krakow University of Technology. Experts of the following faculties will be particularly involved in joint research and development projects on the part of the University. The signing of the agreement was attended today by their representatives, Deans Prof. Andrzej Szarata (WIL), Dr.-Ing. Maciej Sułowicz, Prof. PK (WIEiK) and Dr.-Ing. Maciej Szkoda, Prof. PK, Head of the Department of Rail Vehicles and Transport. PKP Intercity, apart from Krzysztof Świerczek, was represented by Ewa Boguszewska, Director of the Human Resources Management Office.

Another important point of the agreement will be the promotion of the railway industry and its development among the public, promotion of the transfer of scientific achievements to the railway industry by organising conferences, seminars, workshops and symposia with the participation of students and academic staff, joint industry and scientific publications, cooperation with the university's career office, participation in advisory bodies of the partners to plan joint teaching, and research and development activities.

Source: PKP Intercity Press Releases

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