TechZone, Moldova's largest engineering training and innovation center, has opened in Chisinau, with investments exceeding €1.3 million
The 8,800-square-meter TechZone represents critical national infrastructure designed to connect education with the real needs of the labor market. The center is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and specialized laboratories in robotics, mechatronics, industrial 3D printing, laser welding, and metalworking, providing a complete ecosystem for training technical specialists. The center is equipped with advanced automation systems, previously unavailable in any educational center in the region. The project was launched by the Bălți Free Economic Zone in response to the challenges and needs of companies in the manufacturing industry for a skilled workforce. The training center aims to develop the ability of Moldovan companies to apply modern technologies, adapt them to market needs, and, in turn, develop technologies, products, or services that will enable them to advance in high-value-added chains and enter or strengthen their position in export markets. TechZone will also help local companies develop the necessary competencies for their employees to utilize modern technologies in various industries. The center will address the shortage of highly educated specialists for potential multinational investors in areas such as metalworking using numerically controlled machines, plastic injection molding, robotics, laser cutting, laser welding, automation, and more. During the TechZone opening on December 5, Marin Ciobanu, Chief Administrator of the Bălți Free Trade Zone and President of the Manufacturing Industry Employers' Association, noted that the project was implemented through the joint efforts of the Moldovan government, the private sector, and development partners, with support from the Swiss Cooperation Office and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the governments of the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States, the Innovate Moldova project, and international companies Gebauer & Griller, Dräxlmaier, Sumitomo, and Siemens, which made significant financial and expert contributions to ensure the relevance of the curriculum. The total investment in this project exceeds €1.3 million. He emphasized that the TechZone project aims to strengthen human potential and address the shortage of skilled labor in strategic areas. The National Center for Engineering Training and Innovation, TechZone, is expected to be a platform that will accelerate the development of technical skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship among young people, startups, and the business community. The center will connect technical education with real market demands, promoting the professionalization of the workforce and attracting value-added investments. During the event, the center's main areas of activity were presented, as well as its strategic role in the modernization of Moldova's economic and technological ecosystem. The center also houses the Austrian vocational school Erhardt Busek, which offers a dual training model that combines theory with intensive practical training. As part of the project's launch, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Bălţi Free Economic Zone and the Ministry of Defense. This partnership will provide National Army service members with the opportunity to learn technical skills while in service, facilitating their integration into the labour market after discharge into the reserve.// 05.12.2025 — InfoMarket
