Education & Modern Work - vdma.org

Our learning offers promote the individual technical professionalization as well as the development of new competences - with a view to the current and future requirements in the companies.

With a large number of offers for career and study orientation, we want to drum up support for technical professions throughout the country. Companies, universities and the VDMA are joining forces for this. Get involved!

The shortage of young talent in technical professions is one of the top challenges facing our industry. This is why the VDMA is launching a new campaign for more young technical talent.

The toolbox is a practice-oriented collection of good practice examples of proven methods and innovative approaches for university teaching in the engineering sciences. Now with new examples and a fresh look!

The VDMA Salary Study is ready! As planned, the printed results report will be available at the end of March, so we will be sending it out to study participants in the first week of April. Non-participants can order from the store from the beginning of April.

On April 7, when bauma opens its doors, exhibitors and VDMA members will once again present themselves to young visitors for the fifth time and provide exciting insights into the various apprenticeship professions in the construction industry.

To ensure the competitiveness of the mechanical and plant engineering industry, the VDMA is calling for reliable economic framework conditions. A strong industry means a strong economy.

The parties to the collective agreement in the M E industry in Baden-Württemberg have concluded a collective agreement that enables companies to lend employees to each other in order to avoid short-time working or redundancies.

IG Metall wants to secure industrial jobs by giving preference to companies bound by collective agreements. This is the wrong approach.

DescriptionIf done well and in an interesting way, addressing parents in a targeted manner can make an important contribution to securing the next generation of skilled workers in the long term.

In episode 7 of the video series "Mechanical Engineering meets Young Professionals", Miriam Härter and Florian Frühbeis from HAWE Hydraulik SE present their tasks at the plant in Freising.

Job advertisements remain a key element of successful recruitment. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to make job advertisements more target group-oriented and effective.

Achieving corporate resilience requires risk management, supply chain management, adaptability, employee engagement, new technologies and crisis management. This requires competent managers and employees.

A survey of around 550 companies shows: 62 percent of companies offer dual studies - and benefit from them. This is because most of the junior staff stay with the company that trains them.

Through the transfer of technology and knowledge, students receive practical training and companies can retain skilled workers. SMEs should be supported in cooperations in university teaching.

Managers face particular challenges in economically difficult times. They have to convey stability while experiencing uncertainty themselves.

Strengthening flexibility and resilience is essential for companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector to successfully overcome crises and remain competitive in the long term.

In economically challenging times, companies face the difficult task of communicating restructuring, short-time work or even job cuts.

The mechanical engineering sector is feeling the effects of the recession - yet companies only reduced their workforce by just under 1% in 2024. Even now, the core workforce is to be retained as much as possible.

Every year, around 250,000 young people try to find their way into vocational training after leaving school with the help of the transition area. There is a wide range of programs to choose from, but too often companies and young people do not find a match.

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The VDMA has addressed extensive demands to politicians. What do the parties think? Our overview shows the extent to which the mechanical and plant engineering industry is taken into account in the programs for the federal election on February 23, 2025.

The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSJ) has commissioned a special study on the issue of father-friendliness in mechanical and plant engineering as part of the "Success Factor Family" corporate program.

Assistance from the VDMA legal department on dismissals for operational reasons

On January 30, 2025, the Bundestag passed amendments to maternity protection in the event of miscarriages (printed matter 20/14231). The changes will come into force on June 1, 2025.

In the event of an increasing lack of orders and a lack of capacity utilization, the instrument of short-time work combined with short-time work compensation is an option for companies and employees.

By denying a trade union the right of digital access to the company, the BAG sets limits to the institutional freedom of association.

It is difficult to do business with uncertainty or lack of knowledge. People, technology and organization are needed to become more resilient and thus remain competitive.

Employment in the mechanical and plant engineering sector is also expected to fall slightly this year. This makes it all the more important to reduce labor costs now.

Less bureaucracy, a maximum tax rate of 25% and an efficient infrastructure are essential to ensure competitiveness. Germany will only remain a strong industrial location through bold reforms.

The German parliamentary election campaign is all about taking clear positions and making demands. VDMA Vice President Verena Thies explains where the industrial SME sector is struggling.

Several million people in Germany use elevators and escalators every day. And the number is growing. What opportunities does the industry offer and what does everyday working life look like? A planning and sales expert talks about her job.

Many young people in the transition period between school and work are suitable for training. Targeted support could attract them to careers in mechanical engineering.

In our theme publications, you will find facts, figures and data related to vocational training, engineering courses, skilled workers, mechanical engineers and women in machinery and equipment manufacturing.

How many apprenticeship positions are currently available? How many applicants are there? How have supply and demand for the most important professions developed in recent years? Get all the information at a glance here.

The VDMA calls for a labor market policy that secures skilled workers, recognizes performance, offers flexibility, and thereby stabilizes our social systems.

The agricultural technology industry is an important enabler of the agribusiness of the future. This is because it makes it possible to harmonize economy and ecology. We will be demonstrating this at the Green Week on three sustainability paths.

Sustainably developing innovative strength in the company. The Web-Erfa explored the question of which decisive factors contribute to promoting employees' ability to innovate.

Study by the IMPULS Foundation for Engineering Education for Industry 4.0 develops the first target profile for engineers in industry 4.0 Appeal to universities: Making teaching more interdisciplinary New competencies: Computer Science, Data Science and Data Security

On January 1, 2025 and over the course of the next year, a number of changes will be made to the labor market.

On December 18, 2024, the Federal Cabinet decided to extend the period of entitlement to short-time working allowance.

Structural changes are needed, not the expansion of expensive special formats. The extension of the short-time working allowance is a political mistake.

Digitalization is driving the mechanical and plant engineering industry forward. This innovative strength is also reflected in the theses submitted by graduates from Germany and Austria.

Demographic change, a shortage of skilled workers, unfilled training positions - these are often the predominant issues in Germany when it comes to recruitment. But what is it like in other countries? We asked around locally.

Current developments in labor law and new laws pose challenges for the mechanical and plant engineering industry - an overview of decisions and legal adjustments that are relevant in practice.

Competitiveness, growth and a long-term supply of labor and skilled workers require adaptability, a flexible labor market and a future-proof social security system.

The Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA) has prepared an application paper on the provisions of the Artificial Intelligence Regulation (AI Regulation) that are relevant for employers.

How can we get young people interested in technology and thus in technical training occupations and degree programmes? How can we counteract the shortage of young talent?

NORDMETALL and the Bavarian Metal and Electrical Industry Association (vbm) reached a pilot agreement with the IG Metall districts on the coast and Bavaria on November 12, 2024.

The EU-Commission has given the go-ahead for a single EU-wide digital declaration portal for the posting of workers. VDMA expressly welcomes this first step towards reducing bureaucracy.