Kortrijk (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Syntra West’s Kortrijk campus opened on September 1, led by Director Marie Van Looveren. The €9 million facility offers hands-on technical courses, including robotics, to meet industry demands.
The Syntra West industrial campus in Kortrijk opened for students with technical and industrial programs on September 1. It offers specialized courses to help students gain practical skills for jobs in areas like engineering, mechanics, construction, and electronics. The campus has modern facilities with workshops and training spaces that look like real workplaces. This hands-on learning approach helps both young and adult students prepare for jobs in the growing technical job market.
What opportunities does Syntra West’s new €9M Kortrijk campus offer for technical training?
The campus is situated in a busy industrial area, providing strong connections with local businesses, which creates opportunities for internships, apprenticeships, and partnerships. Syntra West aims to link education with industry, giving students not just technical knowledge but also practical experience for their future careers. The Kortrijk campus offers a variety of training programs covering many technical fields. Director Marie Van Looveren highlights that the courses range from basic topics like electricity, hydraulics, and mechanics to advanced subjects like industrial automation, ensuring that students receive comprehensive training tailored to their interests and the demands of the technical and industrial sectors.
To support its programs, Syntra West has spent a lot of money on new equipment to go along with what they already have. He mentioned that one of the new tools is a robot arm, which is very important for teaching students about robotics and automation important technologies in today’s industry. This investment in modern tools makes sure that students learn not just the theory but also get hands-on experience with equipment similar to what they will use in real jobs, helping them prepare for the fast-changing needs of the industrial sector.
At the new campus, the focus is on teaching the skills needed for technical and industrial jobs, which are crucial for the area’s success, especially since the industry is struggling to find the right people for these roles. The ground floor features a large open studio with all the necessary equipment in one place, which is unique to this campus, while the theory classrooms are located on the upper floors. The entire project cost over 9 million euros.
