Crafts in the Pinneberg district: Masters complain about customer anger!

Crafts in the Pinneberg district: Masters complain about customer anger!

A unique look at the challenges and opportunities in the craft sector is currently being provided by a new series of articles about craftsmen in the Pinneberg district. The first article contains an insightful conversation with Norbert Lanz, the district master craftsman, and Claudia Mohr, the managing director of the district craftsmen's association. Topics are discussed that are not only important in Pinneberg, but also in other regions, such as high school graduates in the trades, problems with dubious customers and the effects of billing issues on mood and cooperation.

In a conversation, Lanz complains about the recurring difficulties with “black sheep” that make life difficult for companies. “Real handwork is essential, especially when building houses,” he emphasizes. But there are challenges not only locally, an image problem that is affecting more and more craft businesses also needs to be addressed.

A serious image problem

In the Gießen district, numerous craft businesses are desperately looking for trainees for the coming training year. Many young people decide to continue their school career instead of starting a craft training, which the district craftsmen's association sees as questionable. She plans to advertise more aggressively the advantages and possibilities of training. It's no secret: Traditionally, training begins on August 1st or September 1st in many places, but the situation has changed in recent years.

As of July 15th, the Gießen employment agency registered a whopping 691 applicants without a training place. In contrast, there are 519 unfilled training positions, which illustrates how urgently successors are needed. The decline in training positions is due, among other things, to the restrictions during the corona pandemic. Internships and school presentations could not take place, which led to uncertainty among young people, who may therefore postpone the start of their training.

The urge for offspring and better education

The importance of well-informed young people is becoming increasingly clear. A study by Hanebutt GmbH shows alarming findings: In 2023, 35% of the training positions offered in the skilled trades remained unfilled. In addition, 84% of the young people surveyed felt poorly informed about skilled trades. These facts emphasize the urgent need for improvement in education and information about attractive careers in the skilled trades.

The study shows that 72% of respondents want information in schools to be improved. Two thirds of the study participants also lack social appreciation for skilled trades. However, skilled trades offer many development opportunities, especially for high school graduates and college dropouts. After all, 75% of parents recommend a career in crafts to their children, highlighting the successful prospects.

In order to tackle these challenges, the “Handwerk Mittelhessen” association was founded to improve contact between schools and companies. The goal: to provide practical information about apprenticeships in schools and to reduce prejudices about skilled trades. This initiative could help to significantly improve the image of the craft industry.

In the new series of articles, the district master craftsman Norbert Lanz and Claudia Mohr from Pinneberg are committed to better image design and information about the opportunities in the craft sector. It remains to be hoped that both companies and schools will pull together to attract future skilled workers and position the skilled trades as an attractive career path.