When the Spanish SICE-Cobra consortium is going to equip the Fehmarn Tunnel with technical innards, they will need at least 25 Danish apprentices. This is what José Manuel Olivares Villafranca, the international production manager at Grupo Cobra, says. Grupo Cobra is part of the consortium that won the contract for the technical installations in the Fehmarn belt tunnel (the TEM contract).
In the tender documents, the state-owned project developer Femern A/S stipulates that the contractors on the construction site must employ Danish apprentices. And the Spanish SICE-Cobra consortium has taken this to heart:
Not the usual procedure in other countries
– It is a crucial matter, and I must confess that it is not the custom in the countries we work in. I want to congratulate the Danish authorities and the Fehmarn management for including it. We expect to employ at least 25 apprentices during the project period. But this is not a limitation, and we would like to have even more, says Villafranca.
The 25 apprentices will cover a wide range of subjects. But in particular, high and low-current electricians and plumbers will be in demand when the installation work starts. But SICE-Cobra also expects to need apprentices and students within data communication and office functions.
As many Danes as possible
However, it will not only be students that the Spanish consortium will be recruiting in Denmark:
– We intend to involve as many Danish companies as possible as subcontractors or sub-suppliers. Because of this, we have participated in various events in Femern Business Development and Femern Business Suppliers in recent years. During these events, we have met multiple companies that have offered us their assistance in this fantastic project, says José Manuel Olivares Villafranca.
The Spanish SICE-Cobra consortium won the TEM contract with an almost €121 million offer cheaper than the nearest competitor.
