Young Guns
Young Guns
Silver for Johannes Brandl
At the European Vocational Championships in Gdansk, Poland, the German participant won the silver medal in the vehicle painters' competition. Congratulations! The 21-year-old Johannes Brandl from Eggenfelden in Bavaria was in top form in Gdansk – even though he had been absent from the SATA Challenge in May due to illness. Usually, the EuroSkills participants use this training competition to prepare under real-life conditions together with their experts. In order to be well prepared for the race, Johannes underwent intensive training with his expert Mariusz
Dechnig at the Federal Training Centre in Weiterstadt at the beginning of August. With success, as we have now seen.
One of the first to congratulate the runner-up was Jörn Stöver. As Export Sales Manager, he is also responsible for EuroSkills and WorldSkills at SATA. It's not only titles that are important for him: "As a sponsor and supporter of these competitions and their preparation, we are delighted every time we see young professionals from all over Europe working at such a high level. This is a great inspiration for the next generation in the profession. Of course we also congratulate France for their gold prize and to Denmark for their bronze prize."
Europe's most talented young professionals compete at EuroSkills. SATA is a partner in the field of vehicle painting.
The young professionals may already have experience, but working under this unusual level pressure is something many are not accustomed to. That's why there are training competitions, including one that was hosted by German expert Mariusz Dechnik, supported by SATA. The SATA Challenge was held at the Federal Training Centre in Weiterstadt, the expert’s home base, in May.
Six Young Guns and their experts took part. An important item on the programme was the visit to SATA, including direct handling of the paint spray guns that will be provided for the EuroSkills. Guests from Denmark, England, Finland, France, Poland and Germany were grateful to be able to train under competitive conditions.
EuroSkills is more than just a showcase of nations for the participants, the experts and for SATA itself. "It's about generating publicity for our professional sector. It’s about making this particular sector more attractive, especially for young women," says Jörn Stöver. He coordinates the partnership with WorldSkills and EuroSkills at SATA. Jörn Stöver spoke to the chief expert, Samuel Guinard from France, about the competition.
Jörn Stöver: How important is training like the SATA Challenge in the run-up to an international competition?
Samual Guinard: It’s important for participants to practice the procedures and expectations in the international environment. Working under competition conditions and learning about the assessments is also a very important learning area in these practice competitions. It’s important for experts to agree with their colleagues on the tasks and evaluation bases and to reach an agreement so that no problems arise during the competition. All this can be achieved more efficiently in face-to-face meetings rather than video conferences.
JS: How difficult is it for young professionals to adjust to working in such competitive situations?
SG: As a competitive situation, yes, it’s different from a professional environment. They have to get used to it. That’s what makes the difference between a good varnisher and a good participant in a competition.
JS: How do these young professionals benefit from their participation – apart from trophies and certificates, that is?
SG: On the one hand, it’s about personal maturity, in the sense that the participants are able to have an experience that few people could have otherwise. In a professional environment, delivering professional work precisely according to instructions is a tremendous way to alleviate stress.
EuroSkills
Over 600 young professionals from 43 disciplines will compete at the next European Skills Championship. The participants, none of whom are over the age of 25, have qualified in their countries of origin. The tournament is organised by WorldSkills Europe in cooperation with 32 member countries. More than 100,000 guests are expected at the competition in Gdansk, Poland, from September 5 to 9.
Each participant will be supervised by an expert during the preparation and the competition. This is coordinated by the chief expert. Currently, this is Samuel Guinard, from France. SATA has been a global partner of WorldSkills since 2019 and also promotes EuroSkills as a sponsor, including with personnel support.