Unipetrol and its Foundation are supporting chemistry and natural sciences at primary and secondary schools and at universities. Thanks to this mission, almost 1,200 children came to see the Group’s production sites last year. Scholarships were granted to 51 secondary school and university students based on their school performance and talents. Unipetrol also offers practical training or paid student jobs, which had been used by nearly 100 students before the coronavirus outbreak. In the past school year, the leading petrochemical and refinery company distributed a total of CZK 8.25 million among schools and students.
“The Unipetrol Group and its Foundation have been giving backing to natural sciences and technical fields for many years. We managed to implement a range of interesting activities in the school year 2019/2020 despite the recent challenging period. We spent a total of CZK 8.25 million on scholarships, grants, donations, and educational projects for students, educators, and schools,” comments Katarzyna Woś, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Unipetrol Group and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Unipetrol Foundation.
“The schools had shown above-average interest in excursions until the beginning of March. A total of 1,200 students came to see our production sites in Záluží near Litvínov, Kralupy nad Vltavou and Neratovice, which is more than in the previous school year. The students are, as usual, interested in the working environment, job content, wages, and growth opportunities,” says Group HR Director Michał Chmiel, adding that another 100 students chose student training and student jobs at Unipetrol Group companies.
Chempark in Záluží near Litvínov is the largest production plant of the Unipetrol Group. More than half of all employees work here. That is why Chempark is most intensively involved in collaboration with secondary and primary schools. Unipetrol is thus partnering with the Educhem secondary school in Meziboří and Schola Humanitas in Litvínov. Students from these schools can apply for scholarships; they can take part in a two-week training in the production plant and earn some extra money during summer as part of the student job offer.
In 2002, Unipetrol launched a collaboration with the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague (VŠCHT), which culminated in the establishment of the University Centre of the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague – Unipetrol that is located straight in Chempark. The Centre registers 35 students in three Bachelor fields of study and one follow-up field. “We have been popularising chemistry among young people across all levels of education for 19 years. Together with the University, we are involved in many educational activities such as the Student Scientific Conference, or interactive lessons full of experiments at primary and secondary schools. In exchange, we also offer scholarships to VŠCHT students, as well as the opportunity to work with us during their study,” says Katarzyna Woś.
Unipetrol Foundation has started accepting applications for scholarships
More than 50 talented students received scholarships for university and secondary school students worth CZK 1.7 million from the Unipetrol Foundation in the past school year. The Foundation also distributed CZK 3.3 million within the grant programme encouraging educational and scientific activities at primary and secondary schools. The Foundation is also involved in infotainment programmes. The interactive show – A Wonderful Day with Chemistry – held in Kralupy nad Vltavou and Litvínov was seen by 1,240 children. “In March, we had managed to hold the last three Wonderful Days with Chemistry in the House of Culture in Litvínov. It was seen by 400 students. In the meantime, we needed to adapt to the new situation and change the dates of the shows. We have also prepared a grant programme for educators and a scholarship programme for students that is now open until mid-August,” Katarzyna Woś summarises the second term at the Unipetrol Foundation.
The Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude-oil processing and on the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it belongs among the important players on the Czech and Central European market. The Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo with its Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, Spolana Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes a network of Benzina filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 418 filling stations, Benzina is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in terms of turnover in the Czech Republic. It earned over CZK 129 billion last year and employs more than 4,800 persons. In addition to its business development, Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives which focus on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, Unipetrol became a member of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest crude-oil processor in Central Europe.
For more information, please visit the “Responsible Company” section at www.unipetrol.cz.
Contact information: Pavel Kaidl, spokesman, telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520, e-mail:
pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz