UFH NRW elects new board

This year's NRW State Association Conference of Women Entrepreneurs in the Skilled Crafts focused on work and leadership in times of change. The general meeting also elected a new board.

This article is part of the special feature on women in the trades.

The Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Crafts North Rhine-Westphalia (UFH NRW) discussed transformation at their annual state conference in Hamm . Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key factor in the changing landscape of work and leadership. "I see AI as an opportunity to optimize our work processes and strengthen us as leaders ," said Juana Bleker , State Chairwoman of UFH NRW.

"The question is not what needs to be abolished, but what can be done differently ," stated Marc Herter , Mayor of Hamm, in his welcoming address. Berthold Schröder , President of the West German Association of Chambers of Skilled Crafts , reported on the rapid progress in AI and robotics. These technologies, he said, are an important tool in the fight against the skilled worker shortage.

No reason to panic

Patrick Amato from the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Handwerk (SME Digital Center for Skilled Trades) explained that there's no reason to panic: "Because AI isn't new. It's based on an algorithm modeled on the human brain." It's a purely mathematical sequence of "perceive – infer – react." But what does AI have to do with skilled trades, and how can it provide support?

Given the right data, AI can quickly record and count deliveries . Precise data analysis and optimization is particularly useful in industries like baking. AI-powered glasses could even simplify work for customers . Of course, AI also has its weaknesses.

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Ethics not yet defined

Amato: "The more specialized knowledge is required, the more likely AI is to invent something." This clearly shows that humans cannot be replaced in this area . Furthermore, the issue of ethics regarding artificial intelligence is highly dependent on the user and is not yet clearly defined.

Matthias Heidmeier , State Secretary in the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Labor, reported on measures taken by the state government . He advocated for the equivalence of academic and vocational education , praised the master craftsman bonus, and promised to continue paying it to newly qualified master craftsmen in the long term.

Making partial qualification possible

He welcomed the federal initiative on maternity protection for the self-employed and demanded: "We need more money for training centers. And we need to become less bureaucratic." One in five young people cannot enter vocational training after leaving school. He asked craft businesses to be flexible with their training programs and to consider partial qualifications.

At the subsequent general meeting, Juana Bleker from Bocholt was unanimously re-elected as Chairwoman. Katja Lilu Melder from Hamm joins the board as Vice Chairwoman. Undine Weiller from Leverkusen was confirmed as Managing Director and Birgit Krüger from Wuppertal as Secretary.

Jutta Monscheuer from Solingen and Elvira Erpelding from Cologne will support the UFH NRW as board members in the future. Christa Schneider and Gaby Gehring-Evels will serve as auditors for the next three years.

Source: UFH NRW

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