Start of the "zdi hand workshop" in the Emscher-Lippe region

Inspiring young people to pursue a career in the skilled trades – this is the goal pursued by the “zdi hand workshop”. After a successful test run a good year ago, the roll-out in the Emscher-Lippe region is now set to begin.

The project aims to create portable practice stations that can be borrowed free of charge, where ninth and tenth graders in particular can test their manual skills. The EU funds for setting up the project have been approved. We are now looking for other crafts companies from the region who would like to get involved in the development and construction of the stations and offer their trainees the opportunity to work in the promotion of young people for their own company.

For the test run of the "zdi hand workshop" in June 2019, the zdi network in Gelsenkirchen had borrowed most of the equipment from Münster by van. The course was developed under the leadership of the Chamber of Crafts there. With Elektro Gerhardt and the RHZ Handwerkszentrum GmbH, two companies had looked after the stations with their trainees in a secondary school. At that time, work in the fields of electrical engineering, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, two-wheeler mechatronics, metal construction, carpentry, carpentry and pipe cleaning could be tried out. With success: Several students then applied directly for internships in both companies. The company Peter Garb Sanitary Installation and Heating Construction is now also on board for the new start.

Craft businesses can still participate

“Trying things out is better than talking, especially when the stations are supervised by trainees. The success with the borrowed equipment encouraged us to apply for funding for our own stations. We are very pleased that this funding has now been approved," said Wolfgang Jung, Managing Director of Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen GmbH, which coordinates the zdi network Gelsenkirchen.

Interested craft businesses from the Emscher-Lippe region now have the opportunity to participate in the eight-year campaign with their own ideas. "First of all, it's about building your own new hands-on stations and putting them together as didactically functioning sets. These can then easily be borrowed later for events in the schools. We are planning both individual sets, with which craft businesses can respond to requests from schools, and an entire course with nine stations that can be transported to the schools with a trailer," explains Dr. Thorsten Balgar, zdi coordinator at the Science Park.