SEAT IS COMMITTED TO TALENT AND TRAINING

SEAT, a forerunner in generating talent, strengthens its commitment to training and talent by collaborating with universities and leading business schools. In the last year, the largest creator of employment in the industrial sector in Spain has implemented several projects that position it as one of the country's most committed companies to innovation and the development of new professionals.

One of the main initiatives is the collaboration between the brand and ESADE. SEAT actively participates in this academic institution's training programmes and has become an honorary member of this prestigious business school's Foundation. At the same time, through ESADE, this year the carmaker has created the SEAT grant, which aims to promote the training of future executives. During the 2016/17 term, two students aged from 18 to 22 attended a BBA (Bachelor in Business Administration) free of charge, taking a further step in engaging the brand with the training of young talents.

In this same sense, through an agreement with IESE, SEAT promotes the SEAT Innovation Chair, led by IESE professor Antonio Dávila. The creation of the Chair responds to the commitment of both organisations to conducting research into innovation, applied to different business models, and disseminating its findings among executives and business leaders. The agreement also contemplates senior SEAT executives participating in training programmes and student outreach events organised by IESE.

"Collaborations with universities strengthen our goal of promoting young talent, as we firmly believe that future executives should not only contribute to the company's progress, but they must also be a key factor in the development and transformation of society. We are very happy to be able to collaborate with educational centres of excellence such as IESE, ESADE, UPC or ELISAVA", explains SEAT Vice-president for Human Resources Xavier Ros.

R&D for future mobility

The CARNET platform (Cooperative Automotive Research Network) falls within this same line of collaboration. Founded by SEAT, Volkswagen Group Research and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, it is the first major research and innovation centre focussed on the automotive sector and the future urban mobility of Barcelona. In this way, University and industry establish a united front to create, develop and achieve innovative technology that provides a solution to future urban lifestyles: new mobility systems and new, more efficient ways of making use of vehicles.

Within the framework of the CARNET project, this year Rücker Lypsa and the Barcelona University School of Design and Engineering (ELISAVA) have presented a total of six projects related to autonomous driving and the mobility of 2025/2030 within the context of the city of Barcelona, developing new mobility services and the interior of autonomous vehicles associated with these services. Two of the projects have been acknowledged by the SEAT Design team.