Starting Signal for Third Specialisation in Training Occupation “Car Body and Vehicle Construction Mechanic“

Caravanning as a form of holidaying has been a strong trend for years. In 2021, more than 100,000 motor caravans and caravans were newly registered in Germany for the first time. In total, the Federal Motor Transport Authority keeps 1.3 million leisure vehicles on its register. Due to the rapid increase of around 30 percent in the past five years, the demand for skilled workers in the caravanning industry has also risen. There is a shortage of qualified personnel both in production and in the workshops. The ZKF | German Association of Car Body Technology and the caravanning industry association CIVD want to meet this challenge with a reorganized training occupation and a new specialisation. In Bad Nauheim, at the ZKF member company Karosseriebau Heinz, the two associations declared in writing their intention to create a third specialisation in the training occupation “Car Body and Vehicle Construction Mechanic”, which will be called “Caravan and Motor Caravan Technology”. The caravanning sector will thus have its first training occupation specifically tailored to it.

Specialisation specifically designed for leisure vehicles

ZKF General Manager Thomas Aukamm and CIVD Managing Director Daniel Onggowinarso pointed out that a joint training regulation will be drafted soon, which will be based on a dual legal foundation. The companies of the two associations will thus have the opportunity to be active in both craft and industrial training. Daniel Onggowinarso emphasises the good cooperation between the two associations in the context of vocational education and sees the third specialisation as an enrichment and great opportunity for both industries: “The creation of a separate specialisation takes into account the growth and change in the caravanning industry. Not only is the technology of the vehicles becoming more and more complex, but our customers are also becoming more demanding in terms of services. The need for skilled workers is increasing accordingly. We assume that around 300 apprentices will be needed by manufacturers as well as dealerships and workshops every year”. The reorganisation in the training occupation “Car Body and Vehicle Construction Mechanic” with the new specialisation is intended to meet the special requirements for skilled workers in the caravanning industry. Unlike in the car or truck sector, the production, repair and maintenance of a motor caravan or caravan also requires knowledge of sanitary installations and liquid gas, for example. In addition, materials such as wood and GRP are used in the living quarters of leisure vehicles, which the classic car mechanic is rather untrained to handle. “The new specialisation “Caravan and Motor Caravan Technology” is a milestone for us and makes an important contribution to making the caravanning industry fit for the future,” says Onggowinarso.

Constructive cooperation between ZKF and CIVD

Thomas Aukamm was convinced that “together we will position ourselves even better in the future and thus become more attractive for young people”. Coping with new challenges will only succeed if associations work together, recognise synergies and use them. New technical developments, such as the increasing digitalisation of vehicles and strongly changing mobility concepts, ensure that the job profile will also change even more. In addition, there were a permanent, omnipresent shortage of skilled workers. “These dramatic changes can be better managed together in the form of a common specialisation of the training profession,” says Aukamm. In order to expand this cooperation even further in the future, a lively exchange of knowledge between the two associations is being sought. This is documented by the signing of a “Letter of Intent” between the two associations on the joint development of this new occupational profile.