My1stabila 2022 – New opportunities and perspectives for young people around the world

For many years now, STABILA has been committed to supporting young talent in the trade industry. As the world faces a large and increasingly prominent shortage of young people in trades, this is a mission that has become more important than ever. With the industry facing an acute shortage of tradespeople, the career prospects for the young are better today than they ever have been. It is a challenging situation that we, as a medium-sized family business, want to help overcome.

We visited five training centres across the whole of Germany once again this year. On these visits, we wanted to exchange ideas with the training centres, trainers and, most importantly, trainees. Because what could be more logical than speaking to young talent about the lack of young talent?

Our experience indicates that young trade talent is much more diverse than it was 10 to 20 years ago. Women are no longer a rarity, the age range is much broader and older, and the lives of trainees are more diverse than ever before. The 16-year-old male bricklaying apprentice who trains straight after secondary school is no longer the absolute standard. A 25-year-old carpentry trainee who interrupted their medical studies or a 27-year-old tiling trainee pursuing their second path of education are no longer taking unusual routes.

Another aim for 2022 was internationalising the My1stabila campaign. We therefore supported several organisations, schools and young tradespeople all over the world, including the "FJ Brennan High School in Masonry" in Ontario, Canada, one of the leading high-school masonry programs in Canada since 2015.

The unique thing about it is that young people are introduced to the masonry trade at high-school age, several years before their actual training. It is a new and visionary approach that has proven extremely successful after just a few years and acts as an example for other programs of this type in North America.

FJ Brennan High School in Masonry
Vinicius and Bruno / WorldSkills Brasil

Vinicius and Bruno come from Parana in Brazil. Both proved their trade skills in national competitions at "WorldSkills Brasil" and qualified for WorldSkills 2022.

"Representing my country was a great honour for me. During my three years of training, I gave it my all and seeing how my work improved was an indescribable feeling. It was very difficult to get to where I am now and I feel like I have achieved something great." (Vinicius from Parana in Brasil)

"Because I am not the sort of person who likes to sit in an office – I can't do it! I have to be able to touch things, out in the fresh air, and at the end of the day I see direct results. That's what a trade is for me."

(Felizitas, road construction trainee, Limburg-Weilburg training centre)

Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd

Another trainee program, which we are supporting internationally, was set up by "Lee Marley Brickwork Ltd" in Berkshire, England. Lee Marley Brickwork is the largest construction company for bricklaying in the UK. The company currently has over 50 trainees in bricklaying and is investing very heavily in training the next generation of bricklayers.

Several apprentices have taken part in regional and national bricklaying competitions over the past few years and have even won them. All trainees use STABILA spirit levels for this work, because the idea is that they should be trained with the best tools to get the best results.

Amuk is currently in the second year of his carpentry training in Sydney, Australia. He believes that social media is the best way to get young people inspired by building trades.

"Young people hang out on Instagram and TikTok in particular these days. I try to document my journey with entertaining videos and photos and share them with my community."

Amuk

"Of course, the lack of young talent is a big topic. We need young people!"

(Florian Braun carpentry trainer at Komzet Bau Bühl, Germany)

Upat SA (Pty) Ltd

Upat SA (Pty) Ltd has been our official representative in South Africa for many years. Together with our international partners, we support young talent in building trades worldwide, for example with training sessions and visits to schools and training centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Fuka

"When I'm big, I want to be a joiner!" Fuka is one of our youngest True Pro Ladies and wants to become a joiner when she is older. She is 8 years old and lives with her mother Noriko in Osaka, Japan. Fuka's mother is very proud of her and just wants the best for her. "I wonder what she will be thinking in 10 years. But, regardless of what happens, I will continue to support her on her journey!"

In 2022, we have reached millions of young people through our campaign activities on our marketing channels.

In 2022, we have reached millions of young people through our campaign activities on our marketing channels. The feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing how important it is to engage with this kind of issue facing society.

In 2023, we are looking forward to working with our worldwide community and international partners to promote our goals and ambitions in supporting young talent. Our ultimate hope is to inspire lots of young people to explore a career in a trade profession!