Boom, Belgium – Students from the wood department at PTS Boom in Antwerp have teamed up with automotive sector organisation EDUCAM to build a mobile obstacle course for miniature remote-controlled cars. The initiative is part of a larger effort to spark youth interest in the automotive industry by offering hands-on learning experiences.
Funded by EDUCAM, the project brought together students from both the woodworking and automotive technology departments. The goal is to showcase automotive technology and inspire students to pursue careers in the field — a move seen as essential to addressing the ongoing labour shortage in the sector. The project will debut at the school’s open day on April 26 before touring various technology expos across the Netherlands.
“It was fun. It’s mainly to show people what we do here, and what the possibilities are within the sector,” said student Quinten Bril.
“We learn everything about automotive technology here that we can’t learn at home, and that’s how we work on our passion every day. I hope that everyone who has the same interest will follow the training,” he added.
PTS Boom has reported growing interest in its automotive training programmes, a trend the school believes is vital to meeting employment demands in the sector.
“There is a shortage of workers in our sector. That is why we want to attract young people with this project to follow training in the automotive sector,” said Luk Vandenhoeck, project coordinator at EDUCAM.
Belgium’s automotive sector is bouncing back strongly after the pandemic-induced slump. In 2023, new car registrations surged by 30% to 476,675 units, approaching pre-COVID levels. This was a significant recovery from the 366,000 registrations recorded in 2022 and the highest since the 550,000 units registered in 2019, according to data from the Mobility and Transport Ministry and industry federation Febiac.
Electric and hybrid vehicles significantly reshaped the market in 2023. Together, they accounted for nearly half of all new registrations. Fully electric vehicles made up 19.3%, plug-in hybrids 21%, and self-charging hybrids 7.6%. In contrast, traditional petrol vehicles held 42.4% of the market, while diesel cars dropped to just 8.9%.
Despite the rebound, the sector continues to grapple with a shortage of skilled workers. Industry players and educational institutions see initiatives like the PTS Boom obstacle course as essential to attracting and developing future automotive talent.
This article was originally published by Eurotoday.
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