The best apprentices in Austria

The best apprentices in Austria

This year, the Pinkafeld and Mattersburg vocational schools were the venues for the state apprenticeship championship for automotive technicians and body shop technicians. 36 young people from all federal states took up the challenge and did their best to solve the challenging tasks of the competition and collect as many points as possible. For the automotive technicians, the focus was on troubleshooting using diagnostic equipment, while for the body construction technicians, the focus was on dent removal, repairing plastic parts and preparing them for painting. The event was supported by the companies Berner, Würth, Garanta Versicherung, Glasurit, Nexa Autocolor, Österreichischer Wirtschaftsverlag and A&W-Verlag.

The award ceremony took place on historic grounds. The results were read out on Friday evening in the orangery of Esterházy Castle in the middle of a feudal park in Eisenstadt. Josef Wiener, state guild master of Burgenland vehicle technology and federal guild master Roman Keglovits Ackerer invited all participants to the stage and distributed medals, trophies and certificates. “Special thanks go to our apprentice supervisors Walter Joszt and Hermann Csmarits and everyone else who was responsible for organizing this year’s state championships in Burgenland,” explained Josef Wiener. In the afternoon he was personally convinced that the apprentice competition was held at a high level. "I'm particularly pleased that a Burgenlander also ended up in the top three. It's nice to see how well our entrepreneurs take care of the young talent. I would like to thank you for the excellent training." Federal Guild Master Roman Keglovits-Ackerer gave the apprentices valuable advice: “Stay curious, always face new challenges and continue learning throughout your life.” WKO Vice President Paul Kraill added: “The young people proved in this exhibition that local entrepreneurs provide their skilled workers with excellent training and thus secure jobs in the long term.”

For 19-year-old Tyrolean Bastian Ostermann, the body construction technicians' victory trophy was a pleasant surprise. He had been training for the competition on the last four Saturdays before the competition, sacrificing his free time to do so. “I was also well prepared at my Pappas apprenticeship by being given challenging tasks,” says the young Tyrolean, who comes from Angath in the Kufstein district. Looking back, the parts of the competition that he did best were repairing plastic and adding paint to a fender. His plans for the future: “My brother is a car mechanic, maybe we’ll start our own workshop together one day.” 20-year-old Markus Prammer, winner of the automotive technician category, comes from Traberg in Upper Austria. He is completing a double apprenticeship, wants to do a master's degree after the final apprenticeship examination and perhaps later start his own business. “I like the variety in this job,” he says, “with the new drive technologies that have just been developed, there are always new challenges for the mechanic.”

The winners of the state automotive engineering championship:

1. Markus Prammer, Auto Stumptner, Leonfelden (OÖ)
2. Stefan Fischer, Porsche Interauto GmbH & Co KG, Oberwart (B)
3. Rafael Martin, BG Fahrzeugtechnik & Service GmbH, Sonntag (V)

The winners of the state championship in body construction technology:

1. Bastian Ostermann, Pappas Tirol GmbH, Kirchbichl (T)
2. Felix Haas, Porsche Inter Auto 1230 (W)
3. Philipp Achenrainer, Autohaus Falch GmbH/Zams (T)