Young people in transition are an often overlooked but potentially valuable target group – also for the mechanical and plant engineering sector.
The shortage of skilled workers remains one of the biggest challenges for companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector. Despite a wide range of efforts, the number of qualified young professionals in both vocational training and technical degree courses continues to fall. Demographic change is further exacerbating the situation: over the next ten years, a large proportion of today’s skilled workers will retire. Last year, around 9 percent of the training places on offer in the relevant professions in mechanical and plant engineering remained unfilled.
The so-called transitional area between school and work deserves special attention. This is aimed at young people who do not initially take up training or employment after leaving school. The aim of these programs is to improve their chances of starting a career. In 2023, around 250,000 young people – around 13.5 percent of all young people in training, gaining a higher education entrance qualification or studying – took part in such measures. In order to give companies in the North Rhine-Westphalian mechanical and plant engineering sector a sound insight into the potential of this target group, ProduktionNRW organized a virtual exchange of experiences on 25 March 2025 under the title “Challenging trainees”.
Vocational training: insights from research and practice
Frederik Knack, a speaker in the VDMA Education department, began by shedding light on the current situation on the training market. In order to better understand the increasing recruitment difficulties, various study results on the young generation were presented. These included the Shell Youth Study, the SINUS youth studies and VDMA’s own surveys of school pupils, trainees and students.
The results show a surprisingly clear picture: many young people tend to hold traditional values. Family, security, a stable standard of living and a good work-life balance are very popular. Topics such as sustainability or working from home appear less important. The vast majority of trainees are satisfied with their career choice – a positive signal for companies.
Making more targeted use of the potential of the transition area
The transition area can be particularly relevant for securing skilled workers in mechanical and plant engineering. Despite their formal weaknesses, many of the young people in this sector have an interest in technology and potential. A study by the IMPULS Foundation shows that 50 to 60 percent of these young people perform better in the areas of mathematics, natural sciences and IT skills than the lowest performing quarter of current mechanical engineering trainees. Practical technical professions in particular are attracting great interest.
In order to better tap into this potential, various options are recommended, such as the targeted promotion of technical skills, improved career guidance or closer cooperation between schools, transitional facilities and companies.
Practical approaches in everyday training
Specific challenges in everyday training were also discussed. These include high levels of absenteeism, a lack of technical, social and language skills and psychosocial stress. Companies can address these challenges by introducing an active feedback culture, offering tutoring and language support or coaching for trainers, among other things.
Exchange of experience and discussion
In the concluding discussion, the focus was on differences between trainees in rural and urban regions and the question of when young people’s understanding of technology should be specifically promoted. There was a consensus that practical experience – especially through good internships – plays a key role in the successful recruitment of young talent.
Organizer
The event was organized by ProduktionNRW. ProduktionNRW is the cluster for mechanical engineering and production technology in North Rhine-Westphalia and is organized by VDMA NRW. ProduktionNRW sees itself as a platform for networking, informing and marketing companies, institutions and networks with each other and along the value chain. Significant parts of the services provided by ProduktionNRW are funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.