The training and education of the young generations represent the most valuable investments we could do for the future. We believe in the young generations, they have the determination, knowledge, resources, but also passion to build the world a better place.

 

When it comes to STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) or to a technical field such as plumbing or electricity, the road from theory to practice can be quite bumpy. To understand and learn specialized concepts, students need intensive study and, more importantly, they need hands-on demonstrations and practice in specialized laboratories.  

 

For the students of the Faculty of Installations in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the road from theory to practice is smoother now, as they have a RIDGID laboratory in place for their practical activities. The RIDGID laboratory has been fully equipped during the Covid19 pandemic, but now, as students switched the online courses to face-to-face ones, it is used to its fullest potential.

Back to school is cool

On Monday, March 28th, we officially launched this RIDGID laboratory during the “Design Your Future” event. It took place at the Faculty of Installations and it was a total success.

The event started with a speech held by dean Florin Domnița:

“It’s been almost two years since we started the collaboration with RIDGID. I would like to thank them again for the support, but also for stepping up and taking the initiative of investing in a technical school. The past years have been challenging for everyone due to the Covid19 pandemic, but now I am happy to see the classrooms full again and also to see more and more students interested in the RIDGID laboratory. I am sure that we will have a long and successful collaboration with RIDGID and I am already looking forward to the next event organized together.”

 

Then, we invited on stage Octavian Bumbescu and Ovidiu Țifui, HVAC-R engineers, Instagram influencers and successful entrepreneurs in the plumbing field, both proud alumni of the Faculty of Installations.

Octavian and Ovidiu graduated years ago, but they were more than excited to be back at school, meet the teachers and interact with students.

In their speeches they walked the audience through their stories, shared details related to their professional path and talked about the importance of high-quality tools in building one’s reputation.

“Nowadays, construction installations done right alongside energy efficiency are crucial for people’s health, comfort and wellbeing. Therefore, the involvement of tools manufacturers is important in the technical training and development of future professionals who are going to work in this business.

RIDGID has taken a very important step in supporting young students and future HVAC-R engineers of the Faculty of Installations in Cluj-Napoca. They not only equipped a laboratory with last generation tools needed in installations, but they brought students closer to the job site. This laboratory is something that I could only dream about 20 years ago when I was a student in this institution.

I was extremely honoured to be present at the inauguration of the RIDGID laboratory. It was a pleasure to stand in front of the students and share with them details of my professional experiences, daily work, but also tips and tricks related to sanitary installations, heating-cooling systems, and renewables energies.  

The best part of the event was the hands-on contest. I was a captain of one of the teams and I am proud to announce to you that the team I coached won the contest. Now each team member has a brand new RIDGID wrench added to what will become their own toolbox.

RIDGID and Faculty of Installations teams, keep up the good work and collaboration!

Dear students and future colleagues, this is the way to go. Study hard, work and you will be for sure rewarded!”

- Ovidiu Țifui, HVAC-R Engineer & Owner EcoInstal

 

„As a former student of the Faculty of Installations, there are not enough words to describe how excited I was when RIDGID invited me to be present at the inauguration of the laboratory, but also to be a speaker during the <Design Your Future> event. 

Before I started to work here, in Romania, I experienced the job site life in Poland and the UK, where I discovered RIDGID and I understood how important strong tools are in order to deliver high-quality work. This was one of the most important pieces of advice I offered the students, in addition to other details related to my professional career and the experiences I gathered over the years.

As practice and learning by doing are sometimes more important than school theory, I was happy to be a team captain during the hands-on contest in the laboratory. I demonstrated the latest RIDGID tools for cutting and pressing and I kept a close eye on my team’s activity.

In the installations field, in order to be a good engineer, you need to work smart, not hard and you need to always be informed about the latest tools and technologies in the industry. It is very nice to see RIDGID taking the initiative and investing in training the engineers of tomorrow.

A huge thank you goes to RIDGID, to the Faculty of Installations and to all the students present at the event. I already look forward to the next event, but also to meeting you all again soon.”

- Octavian Bumbescu, HVAC-R Engineer & Owner Optimus Clima

Ovidiu and Octavian are now RIDGID Ambassadors and we couldn’t be prouder of them!

“Design Your Future” Contest 

The event continued in the RIDGID laboratory with a hands-on activity contest. Two 5 members teams, one led by Octavian and the other one led by Ovidiu, demonstrated good communication and collaboration skills and built a copper installation by measuring, cutting, deburring and pressing copper tubes.

“I was very honoured to participate in the <Design Your Future> event and contest. I believe it was a good opportunity that got me close to my colleagues and also to the sanitary installations sector through Ovidiu’s guidance. I feel this was the first professional experience in the field and I already look with excitement to all the experiences that will prepare me to be a good engineer.”

- Cristi Abrudan, Student

 

“Being part of the <Design Your Future> event and the contest was a very cool experience. It was very exciting having Octavian show us the tools we need to use in order to build the small copper house, but also to see how useful my ideas were to the project. I am 100% sure I will participate in future events and contests organized by RIDGID.”

 - Denisa Pop, Student

Looking forward to seeing what the future brings 

 

Present at the inauguration of the laboratory, Anca Jitea, Product Manager of RIDGID EMEA mentioned: “One of RIDGID’s main objectives is to support STEM education through dedicated partnerships with technical schools. Thus, future generations of specialists will play an active role in testing and promoting innovation. We are very proud of this laboratory; it is fully equipped with tools needed for sanitary installations and we are very excited to see enthusiastic students who use the RIDGID tools easily and with confidence.”

 

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