Skoda apprentices have let their hair down to produce the Fabia-based Skoda FUNstar pickup which will make its public debut later this month.
THE SKODA FUNSTAR PICKUP is part of Skoda’s ‘trainee car’ project which was run for the first time last year. The project saw 23 apprentices work on the FUNstar pickup which will make its debut at the 34th GTI Meeting at Worthersee later this month (13-16 May).
Skoda HR Director Bohdan Wojnar. said:“We are once again delighted with our students’ creative ideas and their goal-oriented implementation. We would like to thank everyone who has supported the project, especially the teachers at the Skoda AUTO Vocational School. The Skoda FUNstar is a great concept car that is going to surprise and inspire visitors at the GTI Meeting”.
The Skoda FUNstar is a pickup based on the new Skoda Fabia and gets steel-grey and moon-white metallic paint, while the sills, grille surround and the rear spoiler form a striking contrast in reflex-green. There are LED lights mounted below the sidebars. which help the vehicle’s underneath to glow green. The dual-lens headlights also feature LED technology, with green LED light strips serving as daytime running lights. LEDs are also used in the rear lights.
The FUNstar rides on 18-inch ‘Gemini’ alloys from the Octavia RS. The engine is a 1.2 TSI petrol with 90kW and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
The ‘trainee car’ is part of Skoda’s Vocational School which offers young adults three- or four-year training programmes in technical subjects. The students graduate with an apprenticeship diploma or NVQ level 3 respectively. There are currently 13 training courses, on which 880 full-time trainees are enrolled. Some 12.5% of these apprentices are young women. In addition, 65 current employees are supplementing their qualifications at a post-graduate level. The Skoda Vocational School in Mladá Boleslav was established in 1927. Since then, almost 22,000 students have completed their training there. Skoda offers the training for free; and students are paid for their work during their apprenticeship. After completing the training, Skoda offers all graduates a permanent job.
