Some 30 students from the MFR Mouillieron technical school in the French Vendée region visited various bus manufacturers and supply companies over two days. "It is important for our students to be well informed about new technologies and technical evolutions in the market," the accompanying subject teachers stated bluntly.
MFR Mouilleron St. Germain is part of the network of Maisons Familiales Rurales which has 430 sites, including some 70 in the Loire region. Since 1959, MFR has focused on trainings centred around the maintenance of heavy vehicles and equipment such as agricultural and construction vehicles as well as maintenance and repairs on buses and coaches. During the training, theoretical classes in the boarding school are alternated with practical training periods in companies, preparing the young people for the job market.
Complementary to the educational package, a two-day visit to Busworld Europe was organised. It was originally planned earlier but could only be realised now, partly due to the covid pandemic. Under the guidance of subject teachers Xavier Etienne and Steve Brisseau, 35 students toured Busworld for two days and visited various stands of bus manufacturers and supply companies.
“For us, it is not so much about the commercial aspects as it is about the technology and the evolution taking place in it. The students receive specific technical training to work on agricultural vehicles, heavy vehicles, buses and coaches," says Xavier Etienne. "During their training, a lot of attention is still paid to mechanics and how combustion engines work but we cannot overlook the transition to zero-emission vehicles. Just look at what is happening with new drivelines and the development of battery-electric vehicles or vehicles that will run on hydrogen and fuel cell technology.”
“After all, it is important that the future technicians we train are aware of the new technologies, that they can discover them and ask questions about them," Steve Brisseau adds.
During their visit to the VDL stand, students and subject teachers were informed in detail about both the new drives and the use of composite materials and the weight savings obtained in the production of the VDL Citea Next Gen. Students fired off quite a few questions, including about how all this technology is integrated into the vehicles and how to access it when you need to carry out repairs to, for example, battery packs.
Onderschrift
Xavier Etienne (in the middle) and Steve Brisseau (on the right) with one of the students who is passionate about the new technology used in bus propulsion.
Students at MFR Mouilleron St. Germain from the French Vendée listen attentively to the presentation of VDL's Citea Next Gen.