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Busy at work
The Vienna State Guild of Automotive Technology invites you to a preparatory course for aspiring BODY BUILDING MASTERS. Conclusion: The profession is perhaps too complex for the short apprenticeship period.
Busy at work
There is a chemical smell in the air, it is stuffy and loud. This is what happens during the preparatory course for body construction technicians for the master craftsman examination. Work takes place in the Axalta Refinish Training Center in Oeynhausen - one of the most modern paint and body shop workshops in Eastern Austria. Eleven masters candidates are working hard to fine-tune their skills in the truest sense of the word. Officials are available to answer questions. The hottest topic, however, is the equality of the master's degree with the university degree Bachelor (Bakk.).
Arthur Clark and Günter Blümel never tire of telling the next generation of masters how valuable their work is. “We need you to protect our profession,” says Blümel. The atmosphere is relaxed, collegial and friendly. “I’m glad I don’t have to take the master’s exam today,” jokes Arthur Clark. When asked, it becomes clear why: "The job has become so much more complex today. A master must be convincing both practically and theoretically and must have a broad range of specialist knowledge." It's no longer just about technical skills: diagnosis, quality management, occupational safety, calculation of damage settlement are just a few areas in which the aspirants have to be skilled.
“A master must be convincing both practically and theoretically and have a broad range of specialist knowledge.”ARTHUR CLARK, FEDERAL MIND CHAMPION I.R.
The soon-to-be masters work with motivation while we talk to Manfred Kubik (committee member of the Vienna State Guild of Vehicle Technology and business owner) about apprentice training. Confronted with the question of whether adjustments would be necessary to the apprenticeship period, as the material would become more and more, but the apprenticeship period would remain the same, Kubik is open: "The complexity and diversity of the profession of bodywork technician, painter and wheelwright is unbelievable. To absorb all this knowledge in 3.5 years seems to me to be a Herculean task. I could certainly imagine extending the apprenticeship period and adapting it to the modern, extensive areas of responsibility." An opinion that has recently been heard again and again from various guild circles.
The dual training system is still a recipe for success and there is no need to change that. While car hoods are being masked, repainted and polished, there is a lot of discussion about the profession. Where is the journey going? Of all people, Peter Kalina, Axalta boss, gives the aspiring masters an important tip: "Our work processes are becoming more and more digital. Craftsmanship is important, but please don't forget to get involved in the upcoming digitalization. This opens up opportunities for increasing efficiency and profits."