Established in 1991, Technifutur is a training center in Belgium’s Walloon Region that offers courses in industry, digital technologies and mobility. A centrepiece of its mobility activities is its campus at the world-famous Spa-Francorchamps motor racing circuit in the Ardennes. The campus, which opened in 2006, is dedicated to motor sport and new technologies. EU funding contributed to its development.
- 21 October 2020
‘We are a training center with three target groups: companies, the education sector and job-seekers. We provide most of our training in the automotive sector, but also in industry, emerging- and clean technologies.’
Thanks to the acquisition of new skills and equipment, the range of training programmes on offer at the Spa-Francorchamps campus has gradually expanded to increase the supply of automotive and motorcycle technicians. Training is mainly targeted at companies and their employees, students and job-seekers.
The development of technology for reducing polluting emissions from vehicles is another important activity, and the campus has become a centre of reference for alternative propulsion methods. It also supports local economic growth.
Adapting to change
Technological developments in the automotive sector translate into new skill requirements for workers. Manufacturers are moving towards ‘greener’ engines and joining the digital revolution by developing vehicles that are connected to each other and to infrastructure. At Spa-Francorchamps, Technifutur monitors these advances and incorporates them into its training offer.
One aspect of this, in which EU funding played a role, is the AUTO Skills 2020 project portfolio. It aims to bridge the gap between the abilities of automotive sector workers and new technologies, such as renewable energy and networked vehicles. The main goal is to train people to become skilled after-sales operatives, jobs on which technical advances have a big effect and for which recruitment is difficult.
A key project within the portfolio is Move2SUPPLY, under which state-of-the-art equipment has been acquired to update workshops and set up new sections. The equipment will improve training with new information and communication technologies and ensure that courses keep pace with the latest developments.
Social and environmental benefits
Technifutur’s work on innovative mobility includes experimentation with hydrogen-powered engines in real conditions, with hybrid electric vehicles and compressed natural gas as a fuel. The focus on clean technologies even extends to the energy network. A 6 000 litre hot water cylinder connected to the building's heating system captures and reuses heat from the cogenerator to provide hot water and heating.
Along with its educational value, the campus brings social benefits. There is a strong emphasis on diversity and accessibility of the facilities to workers, employees and engineers. This brings together people from different socioeconomic backgrounds and allows them to exchange knowledge.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Technifutur – Francorchamps campus” is EUR 1 116 200 with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 446 480 through the “Wallonia” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Education and vocational training”.