Today I have read an interesting article in the newspaper ,,Der Standard’’. In a nutshell: There are less craftsmen in Austria. Less people start a vocational training and apprenticing companies in the industrial sector drop out. – that is shocking and worrying at the same time. Why have skilled workers such a huge importance for the society and the whole system?

As an academic it is very important to me, to appreciate people with a craftsman apprenticeship and to ensure that they receive fair wages. I do not only appreciate their specialised knowledge but also their hands-on point of view.

Theory and practice united

I for one can neither take over installation tasks, nor lay power lines. In addition to that, I also leave my car only to qualified personnel. For sure you have different experiences with craftsmen as well as academics. The longstanding experience in the construction of technical enterprises and the accompany in the fields of search for personnel and the process optimization taught me one thing: It is only possible if we work together.

It is only possible if we work together!

The academic engineer is as important as the craftsman, who has another point of view. Together they are invincible. If you read my blog regularly, you will find several hints to this topic. Not least, I would like to point to the start of the qualification course in Ternitz. Education and advanced training are the guarantor of our country with few raw materials. We will only make it if we work together – nobody is more important or less important than somebody else.

What do you think about that topic? Are you a graduate from university, Federal Secondary College of Engineering or high school? Did you complete an apprenticeship? Please text me your experiences in the contact with people, who have the same educational achievement, or a different one, and the relationship between the different groups. This is not only important for the people in the system, but also for our environment and the future world of work in Austria.