Let's get started, girls! Master roofer Tobias Wecker and his wife Silenny will introduce two students to two trades at Girls' Day 2022 on April 28. To ensure the day interns are safe and feel part of the team, they will be provided with safety shoes in their size, as well as T-shirts and hoodies. (Photo: © Wilfried Meyer)
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Women in Crafts - Special Features
February 2022
Tobias Wecker is offering two students a place for Girls' Day 2022. They will learn about two skilled trades in one day. Safety shoes and work clothes will be provided.
MT Dachbau GmbH's first and, until now, only Girls'Day was three years ago. In 2019 , the young roofing company from Schwelm (North Rhine-Westphalia) – founded in 2017 by Tobias Wecker and Marvin Janaschek – made its debut at the girls' career day . Then came the pandemic. This year, master roofer Tobias Wecker is optimistic. "My wife has updated our company's profile on the Girls'Day website . The program for April 28th is ready. We're good to go."
Training his own young skilled workers is a priority for the managing director of the eight-person company. Two young men are currently completing their roofer training. One is in his third year, the other in his first year.
Tobias Wecker would like to offer young women the opportunity to learn from him. But they are a rare sight, and not just in his company. Statistics from the Central Association of German Crafts show around 3.500 new apprentices in the roofing trade in 2020. Of these , about 100 are female ; a share of just under three percent.
Tobias Wecker cites the main reasons as parents' prejudice against skilled trades and the students' lack of knowledge about these professions . "Our interns are completely taken aback when they see that we work with modern machinery on construction sites and that we also train office management assistants."
Operations management
Operations management
Operations management
Girl Power at the Painting and Decorating Company: At Kai Wiegand's painting and decorating business, women make up nearly 50 percent of the workforce. He is currently training three young women to become painters and decorators. The managing director of Malerei-Anstrich Wiegand, based in Solingen (North Rhine-Westphalia), also plans to promote this on social media. His reasoning is simple: "When girls see how many women work for us, it's easier for them to apply." Learn more in the online article "Women and Girl Power at the Solingen Painting and Decorating Company" on handwerksblatt.de.
The roofing trade offers excellent career prospects. The first Girls'Day intern at MT Dachbau was particularly impressed by this. "Standing on scaffolding , enjoying the view and the fresh air was her absolute highlight," recalls Tobias Wecker.
She was also surprised that she was allowed to keep the work samples . "We let her work with the slate hammer and the folding pliers so that she could get a feel for the tool and the material."
At the end of the six-hour workday, Tobias Wecker had the impression that she had enjoyed the Girls' Day at a roofing company immensely. "Unfortunately, she didn't apply to us, but that could also have been because she was only 14 or 15 years old."
One key finding from the first Girls' Day: Young girls are reluctant to be alone in unfamiliar surroundings. "Some students called us and asked if they could bring a friend," recalls Tobias Wecker.
Supervising two day interns wasn't possible due to staff shortages. The open position was only filled at the last minute. To lower the barrier to entry, Tobias Wecker is therefore offering two positions in 2022.
The students can expect a varied program at Girls'Day 2022. In addition to the tried-and-tested practical work samples , there will be a construction site visit and a customer meeting . Tobias Wecker has scheduled three hours for the hands-on portion . The office component – which was rather short at three-quarters of an hour in 2019 – will be extended to three hours . "Six hours go by quickly when you make them interesting."
As in previous years, Tobias Wecker is planning Girls'Day at MT Dachbau as an in-person event. He is rather skeptical about online formats for career orientation . "Craftsmanship thrives on hands-on experience. I find it difficult to present the roofing profession online."
He is not afraid of potentially contracting the coronavirus . Everyone in the company has been vaccinated and given a booster shot. To further protect themselves and the employees, the students must present a current coronavirus test on April 28th.
Girls'Day as an online event: Master plasterer Michael Christmann refused to let the coronavirus pandemic stop him. He and two female apprentices at Stuck Belz organized Girls'Day 2021 as an online event. Learn more in the online article "Stuck Belz sparks interest in the trades virtually on Girls'Day" at handwerksblatt.de . For Girls'Day 2022, both online and in-person events are equally welcome. "The event is effective – even in times of coronavirus," says Romy Stühmeier, project manager of Girls'Day, in the online article "Girls'Day 2022 aims to offer normality and stability in career choices" at handwerksblatt.de.
However, the pandemic is not the only source of danger. Companies also have to pay attention to occupational safety during Girls' Day . "There's a workwear supplier just 50 meters away as the crow flies. We go there with the girls and buy them a pair of S3 safety shoes in their size," explains the pragmatic master roofer.
At the end of the day, the interns return the shoes . After they have been cleaned , the shoes are stored so that other young people can wear them during their internships . This could include, for example, students from a nearby high school with which the craft business cooperates. "Anyone who thinks 60 euros is too much to spend to introduce young people to their interesting profession and gain new trainees is beyond help," says the managing director of the eight-person company.
To make the interns feel like part of the team for a day, he also provides polo shirts and hoodies in sizes S to XXL with the company logo. "The students think that's pretty cool."
Tobias Wecker sees no fundamental objection to young women deciding to become roofers. They simply need to have a head for heights , be open to practical work , and be physically fit . "A roll of roofing felt weighs 30 kilograms. You have to be able to handle that." Ideally, applicants would also possess a healthy dose of creativity . "Sometimes we need solutions that can't be found in any textbook or technical data sheet."
DHB is now also available digitally! Simply click here and register for the digital DHB!
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