TACC - Training for Automotive Companies Creation

“A revolution is going on in the automotive sector- perhaps the biggest in car history – that is changing the way of designing, producing and selling cars. But there is more: digital revolution is also affecting the way customers interact with the vehicle and the very concept of mobility.”

This statement was published in December 2016 by McKinsey & Company Italy and describes the future of the automotive industry in very good terms. Therefore, the industry needs motivated students, who want to acquire transversal skills, who are driven by an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative spirit. To educate students according to this future requirement, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia initiated together with AVL, the largest private research and development company in the world, an innovative entrepreneurship training program specific to the automotive industry named TACC – Training for Automotive Companies Creation.

TACC aims to promote the development of entrepreneurial attitudes and skills and trains students in two semesters the culture of innovation and enterprise. It provides students the opportunity to learn theories, methods and key tools to handle any challenge that an automotive company can meet: from product development to market definition, the exploration of financing opportunities, the articulation of creative processes, the design and adoption of a new business model.

As AVL, we work together with startups throughout our startup initiative – Creators Expedition, in order to generate innovation by creating partnerships with young companies. Therefore, we are very interested to foster students to starting companies in the automotive field. Furthermore, the engagement with likeminded young minds is seen as a future key element for AVL’s success.

Tutoring the students enriches our team, gives us the opportunity to get to know them better, and helps us understanding the needs of young students wanting to create their own company.

After two semesters, the output will be a business case for creating a startup. During the courses the students will develop the business case with the supervision and support of teachers and business associates from other industry partners.

“In the previous program, it was great to see how the first ideas from the students evolved into profound business plans – ready to conquer the startup world!” Thomas Neumann, AVL Startup Inititative