The team of Kai Wiegand (right) and Maya Wiegand (2nd from left) includes journeyman Inken Graumann (left) and apprentices Samira Anlauf (3rd from left), Leonie Frey (3rd from right), and Maya Mäurer. (Photo: © Wilfried Meyer)
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Women in Crafts - Special Features
February 2022
Kai Wiegand is currently training three young women to become painters and varnishers. He plans to leverage the fact that his company's workforce is almost 50 percent female, which he also plans to use to recruit apprentices on Facebook and Instagram.
Kai Wiegand rarely experiences a retired doctor offering to help his employees with their work . "She stood at the scaffolding every day and was absolutely thrilled that our forewoman and our apprentice were painting her facade," recalls the managing director of the Wiegand painting and decorating company . Had he accepted her offer, a dream might have come true for the woman in her late seventies.
"As a young woman, she desperately wanted to become a carpenter , but her father forbade her from pursuing an apprenticeship in the trade ," the business owner from Solingen recalls of his conversation with the sprightly customer. Times have changed, but the prejudices remain. "Many parents and teachers still have completely wrong ideas about skilled trades ."
Kai Wiegand often hears " very unusual " when it comes to the composition of his workforce . The painting company employs eleven people. Around half of them are women . His wife, Maya, takes care of the office. A journeyman who was trained in-house is a foreman. All current apprentices are young women – one in her second year and two in their first.
The percentage of women could even be higher. "Bente left us right after her journeyman's exam in the summer to go to university. In addition, one trainee just quit her apprenticeship during her probationary period," laments Kai Wiegand, emphasizing that he has had very positive experiences with female trainees .
However, many of his colleagues in the trades don't share his enthusiasm. "What if they get pregnant...?" is one of the main objections.
"Then that's how it is!" replied the master painter and decorator. A potential pregnancy , just like perceived physical weakness, is not a disqualifying factor . "We need good staff, so we must also encourage young women to enter the trades," Kai Wiegand is convinced.
His business primarily serves private clients. Wiegand's painting and coating company specializes in the application of lime and clay plaster. Its business areas include historic preservation and timber-frame restoration.
"In the long run, especially the large exterior painting jobs are very strenuous ," he admits. That's why proper scheduling is crucial. "As the boss, I can control who my employees are with and for how long on the construction site." He divides them into teams and assigns them according to their strengths.
He particularly praises his female trainees for their quick grasp of things . "If you show them something, they implement it quickly." Kai Wiegand doesn't want to generalize about them being more approachable than boys. "A well-groomed appearance, friendliness, and cleanliness aren't unique to young women."
The online article "More Women in the Trades – Here's How It Could Work" on handwerksblatt.de explores the reasons why comparatively few young women begin apprenticeships in the trades and how their numbers could be increased. Glazier Cecile Höllmüller and brewmaster Doreen Gaumann have found their dream jobs. In their online article "Women in the Trades: Happy and Successful," published on handwerksblatt.de to mark International Women's Day 2021, these women in the trades encourage more courage when choosing a career.
Kai Wiegand took over the business from his parents in 2017. Since then, the master painter and decorator has been trying to break new ground . High school graduates with a university entrance qualification can combine studies at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences with their journeyman's and master craftsman's certificates.
"We've been advertising this dual study program on our website for three years . Last summer, we hired our first trainee and student ," says Kai Wiegand proudly. Unfortunately, the young woman has since changed her mind . "Traveling to Mönchengladbach every Friday and Saturday to study was probably a bit too much." Now she's focusing on her apprenticeship first , but plans to pursue her master craftsman's certificate afterward.
For about a year now, Kai Wiegand has also been using social media to recruit staff . "We've noticed, of course, that young people spend a lot of time on their smartphones." Wiegand Painting & Decorating is present on Instagram and Facebook . The master craftsman hopes his social media presence will generate greater visibility.
His reasoning is simple: "If the girls see how many women work for us, it'll be easier for them to apply." His own trainees, however, don't advertise on their channels. Not yet. "That would, of course, be great to increase reach."
Kai Wiegand believes it's important for the family business to continually rejuvenate its workforce . "Our strength has always been a balanced mix ." Besides age , this also includes gender . While he's very enthusiastic about his female trainees, he admits: "Of course, I'd be delighted if a suitable young man applied to us again soon ."
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