Class sponsorship with the Higher Technical College in Leoben: young talents experience the wire industry up close

On October 16, 2024, the students of the HTL Leoben visited voestalpine Wire Rod Austria. Managing Director Gunter-Franz Korp welcomed the guests personally and opened a varied program that took the youngsters through production halls, offices, and wire production. The young people received valuable background information about the production process and gained practical insights into the workflows of a globally active technology company.

The opportunity to talk directly to managers and employees and make initial contacts was particularly impressive for the students. The feedback was consistently positive - the enthusiasm for the wire industry and technological innovations was palpable.

In addition to the factory tour, the partnership continues: the students from HTL Leoben will work on their research and development projects before they go into operational implementation. The project results will be presented in an interim presentation to mentor Peter Gruber, Head of R&D voestalpine Wire Technology.

Another highlight for the students at HTL Leoben has already been announced: ten of them will take part in the Wire Hackathon on February 12, 2025. Under the guidance of mentors Gerhard Neuhofer, Solution Architect, and Adrian Häuselmann, Head of IT & Digitalization, they will work together on a practical problem and develop creative solutions - an important step towards entering the world of technology and innovation.

In addition to practical impressions, the focus here is also on valuable interpersonal contacts. Through direct discussions with employees and managers, the students were able to gain initial insights into possible career paths. As part of this cooperation, the students are given the opportunity to work on projects and complete holiday jobs, thus combining theory and practice.

With these sponsorships, voestalpine Wire Rod Austria and voestalpine Wire Austria (already reported) show how valuable cooperation between educational institutions and industry can be. Through the direct exchange, the practical projects, and the long-term support of the students, they make an important contribution to the training of highly qualified specialists. This not only offers young people in the wire industry exciting insights into the technology of the future, but also concrete career prospects in a leading global steel and technology group.