Sund & Bælt has just inaugurated a new apprentice campus at the Fehmarnbelt project, providing accommodation during their education close to the construction site of the world’s longest immersed tunnel.
In addition to housing for apprentices, Campus Femern features office spaces, auditoriums, and workshops, where DTU and other educational institutions, as well as business organizations, will be active alongside Sund & Bælt employees.
Here, DTU students can participate in summer schools, three-week courses, and hands-on projects, allowing them to engage closely with apprentices and the companies working on the Fehmarnbelt project. Until now, DTU’s activities have been based in temporary facilities at the harbor.
Senior Vice President, Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen, attended the inauguration and stated in his speech:
“Today, we celebrate the opening of an apprentice campus. However, we view it as a platform where we work to strengthen value chains across various educational paths. We actively seek to break down barriers, create new collaborative projects, and find new ways of working together. Of course, we each have our own expertise – apprentices have theirs, and we have ours – but a place like this invites us to cross disciplinary boundaries and develop something together.”
A unique setting
DTU aims to be present in selected locations across Denmark where unique infrastructure projects offer great opportunities for both researchers and students. According to Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen, the Fehmarnbelt project gives students a unique opportunity to gain proximity to one of Europe’s largest construction projects.
DTU is already active in Rødbyhavn and has conducted several educational activities based on the project. In addition, DTU has launched the initiative Femern Challenge Lab, which gives students insight into real-world challenges from the Fehmarnbelt construction that can contribute to future large-scale infrastructure projects. Students also have the opportunity to network with companies about potential thesis projects and internships. Femern Challenge Lab is run in collaboration with DTU, Sund & Bælt, COWI, and Rambøll.
“One of the key reasons we want to be part of this is that the project is one of Europe’s largest and most impressive construction efforts, and the construction industry is rapidly evolving. It’s fascinating to follow. If anyone is in doubt about what’s possible, this project makes it abundantly clear. These are exactly the kinds of initiatives we at DTU find exciting. We engage where we see great potential – and there is certainly a lot of it here,” says Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen.
The Ministry of Industry has recently launched an initiative to designate 11 industrial parks, including those in Skive, Kalundborg, and Rødby. This is expected to create greater potential for business collaboration in the Fehmarnbelt area in the long term.
