Alstom training centre Mátranovák strengthens welding skills

Alstom training centre Mátranovák has opened a new welder and fitter training facility at its Hungarian site, expanding how the plant trains and upskills welders and fitters, as outlined in an Alstom press release.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The centre will prepare new specialists for production roles and provide further training for employees already working on the shop floor, supporting the region’s job market with essential steel assembly skills.

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With the professional training programme strengthened, Alstom is also reinforcing its “Right First Time!” approach at Mátranovák. The company says the emphasis on getting quality right from the start is intended to boost factory efficiency and customer satisfaction, while supporting a stable and promising future for the site.

Railway bogie frames manufacturing and site priorities

Carine Siegwalt, site managing director of the Alstom factory in Mátranovák, linked the investment to the plant’s role in railway bogie frames manufacturing. “We are committed to safety and quality! Mátranovák is Alstom’s most important site for the production of railway bogie frames, and its knowledge and competency is essential for the company to be able to deliver the ordered trains to our customers on time,” she said.

She added that Alstom wants to strengthen the inflow of well-trained professionals and keep the knowledge of key operators at a high level. She also noted that bogie frames are among the most important train parts in terms of railway safety, which makes investment in training a responsibility. More than 400 welders and fitters currently work at the Mátranovák site; the broader profile of Alstom’s operations in the country is also described on the company’s Alstom in Hungary page.

Welder and fitter training centre with shop-floor conditions

Designed to mirror production conditions, the welder and fitter training facility is meant to help trainees move more quickly from classroom learning to the production line. It includes 10 welding stations, a cutting machine, two console cranes, and component clamps and rotators already used in production.

Alongside hands-on instruction, the centre has a dedicated classroom for theoretical lessons, as well as a changing room and a common area for those enrolled in the comprehensive training program. Participants will spend 8–12 weeks mastering the precise welding techniques required for bogie frame manufacturing. The curriculum also covers basic locksmithing skills and training in the safe, correct use of the tools and machines installed on the production line.

Dual training centre accreditation and regional education ties

Alstom says the new teaching methodology and the training centre create opportunities to expand cooperation with vocational training institutions in the region. Siegwalt said the Mátranovák site is accredited as a dual training centre and is authorised to provide practical training in several professions.

In addition to steel industry roles, the site now accepts students participating in logistics training. It also provides opportunities for university internships in administrative and technical fields.

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