“As with the last two projects, I am again very proud of our vocational students, of their commitment and expertise,” says Bohdan Wojnar, ŠKODA Board Member for Human Resources. “We would like to thank everyone who has supported this project.” ŠKODA Board Member for Production, Michael Oeljeklaus, adds, “The first two trainee cars have already demonstrated what our students are capable of. The ŠKODA ATERO as an emotive and unique automobile is no exception.”
By building this unique, roadworthy model, ŠKODA continues a fledgling tradition. The ‘Trainee Car’ project is all about promoting the students’ skill and creativity. In 2014 the apprentice team put the ultra-compact convertible on the road. This was followed in 2015 by the FUNSTAR Pick-up.
The ŠKODA CITIJET is a city convertible, based on the ŠKODA Citigo. The exterior is painted blue and white; the 16-inch alloy wheels in blue. A spoiler and two exhaust pipes accentuate the rear. Under the bonnet there is a 1.0 MPI petrol engine with 55 kW (75 HP) output. The interior includes leather covers on the steering wheel, handbrake and gear stick; the seat upholstery and floor mats have their own unique textile design. The dashboard is finished in red and white. The interior features blue LED lighting, which even responds to the 300-Watt sound system.
The ŠKODA FUNSTAR is a compact pickup based on the ŠKODA Fabia. It is painted in the metallic colours ‘steel-grey’ and ‘moon-white’; the sills, radiator trim and rear spoiler are in reflex-green. The headlights and the rear lights shine with LED technology; green LED light strips put a distinctive edge on the daytime running lights. The interior also features steel-grey and moon-white design elements. In addition, the one-off model has a sports steering wheel and a 1400-Watt sound system. The ŠKODA FUNSTAR rolls up on 18-inch wheels from the Octavia RS. The engine is a 1.2 TSI with 90 kW, coupled with a 7-speed DSG gearbox.
The ŠKODA ATERO – the brand’s third and most elaborate ‘Trainee Car’ to date – is a 4.3-metre-long, two-door coupé. Its design is based loosely on the ŠKODA RAPID Spaceback. The B-pillars have been offset to the rear, the C-pillars have a stronger incline; the roof slopes towards the back sooner, and the window edge has moved up behind the doors. The headlights feature LED technology, the front bumper houses a large air intake, and the exhaust system has been borrowed from ŠKODA OCTAVIA RS. The ŠKODA ATERO bodywork is finished in black-magic metallic with strongly contrasting design elements in red.
A 1.4 TSI with 92 kW (125 hp) and a 7-speed DSG form the drive unit. The 18-inch wheels borrowed from ŠKODA OCTAVIA are painted black and finished with red stripes. On the front axle there are internally ventilated perforated brake discs. The interior features LED ambient lighting and additional highlights to complete the sports look. A 1,800-Watt audio amplifier controls the vehicle’s 14 speakers.
Work on the ŠKODA ATERO took about half a year to complete. The 26-member team from the ŠKODA Vocational School in Mladá Boleslav – 4 young women and 22 young men – developed and implemented the concept with support from their instructors and department representatives from Technical Development, Design, and production. The project gave the trainees the opportunity to put their theoretical knowledge into practice, and also to plan and work alongside experts throughout the company.
ŠKODA has been demonstrating the high quality of the vocational training with the ‘Trainee Car’ project for the last three years. The ŠKODA Vocational School offers young people three- or four-year training courses in technical subjects, graduating with a certificate of apprenticeship or diploma. After successful completion, all graduates receive a job offer from ŠKODA. Currently, just under 900 trainees are enrolled on 14 full-time training programmes, of which 14 percent are women. Around 100 employees are currently studying on postgraduate programmes.
