Marco and Christian are cool guys. They are in the process of applying for a commercial vehicle apprenticeship, a ‘truckship’, as one of them jokes, at Mercedes-Benz/Hyundai partner Beresa in Bielefeld. ‘Okay, come with me,’ says the young, friendly Beresa employee at reception, taking them to Customer Service Manager Thomas, who shows them round the factory. After the welcome bags that every trainee receives have been handed out and the contents explained (Christian: ‘Where are my gummi bears?’), they head to the men’s changing room and from there to the inner sanctum, the canteen.
The next stop on the tour is the car area, which is currently dealing with the stress of the ‘wheel and tyre season’ (Thomas). A brief glimpse of the warehouse to the right, then immediately to the left is the commercial vehicle department and a bus on the wheel lift having its tyres taken off so the brakes can be worked on. ‘It’s easy to see that everything is a bit bigger here than we’re used to with cars,’ is the first expert opinion uttered by the two job applicants.
25 million young people are interested in the industry
Marco and Christian are not real applicants. They’re actually the stars of the German social media platform ‘Schrauberblog’ – ‘Schrauber’ being a colloquial term for a mechanic. They were filming their visit to Beresa today. Hundreds of thousands of young people follow their videos and social media posts, which provide a unique mix of a relaxed, easy-going approach combined with real expertise and training knowledge. Companies that are looking for young talent value the fact that, ever since they founded Schrauberblog in 2017, Marco Ten Hagen and Christian Cloppenburg, both certified master automotive technicians, have established a high level of credibility amongst Gen α and subsequent generations who are now coming up to apprenticeship age.
‘Marco and Christian are highly effective influencers who can tap into the target group in exactly the right way and combine entertainment with real expert knowledge,’ says Claudia Kefferpütz from the German Association of the Automotive Industry, which uses ‘Schrauberblog’ like a social media agency. As a result, her association’s campaign ‘#wasmitautos’ [‘Something with Cars’], which was launched in 2017, became one of the most successful young talent initiatives of all time, achieving a reach of 25 million. And it has had quantifiable success: ‘Following a drop in trainee numbers due the Covid-19 pandemic, we have seen trainee numbers increase again for the past two years,’ says Kefferpütz. ‘In 2023, new hires of automotive mechatronics technicians rose 8.9 per cent. However, not all open training posts could be filled adequately and there is a shortage of around 10,000 skilled workers.’
We’re more than just ‘grease monkeys’!
Young people often hold back from starting a career in the automotive or aftermarket industry because of a false prejudice that has long since been disproved. ‘There’s still a prevailing attitude that a young person can only build a successful career with a university degree. There is still too little knowledge of the variety of opportunities available in the skilled trades,’ bemoans Kefferpütz. ‘In Germany, we can can be proud of our dual vocational training system worldwide - yet far too little is known about what you can achieve with solid vocational training.’
The ironic title ‘Schrauberblog’ also highlights another sore point – the lack of awareness of how much has changed in the industry in the past few years. Among Gen Z, the image of the automotive aftermarket as full of screwdrivers and oil-smeared hands in loud workshops with a lot of hammering persists, despite the fact that software and silent engines have dominated this sector for quite some time now. And that in Germany, a wide range of training courses are offered for both school leavers and students (dual study programmes) in areas such as digitalisation management, mechatronics, technical product design and industrial mechanics.
The international recruiting initiative Talents4AA, which is also involved in Ambition, a major show at Automechanika Frankfurt 2024 tailored to the mindset of Gen Z, is also taking this approach. Talents4AA has listed the top five arguments as to why the industry is the most attractive of all for ambitious young applicants. In top place is the crossover with numerous other fields and high-tech sectors, followed by participation in exciting innovations and playing a part in the future of mobility, particularly when it comes to sustainability and climate protection. You can read an interview with an ambassador from Talents4AA, Swede Bo Marcusson, ITG Manager at NRF Ersatzteile und Zubehör, here:
Interview with Bo MarcussonHow can you make sure the search for young talent is successful?
There are many arguments in favour of working in the aftermarket, but it is not always clear how to convince people of this. One common thread internationally is that those who are successful in the competition to reach the best talent are those who offer good training – but also those who also understand how to proactively establish and maintain contact with young people. For GATEWAY TO AUTOMOTIVE, the creators of Schrauberblog have summarised three points that apply both to SMEs and corporations alike and also not just to Germany:
3 tips from the Schrauberblog
Simple application process
The era of long-winded cover letters is over. Young talent prefers quick and simple application processes that are easy and efficient, such as on our careers platform ‘Schrauberjobs’.
Employer branding
Companies in the automotive aftermarket must focus ever more strongly on employer branding in order to position themselves as an attractive employer. A strong employer brand can help to counter the shortage of skilled workers and attract young talent.
Social media presence
An improved social media presence is essential. Companies should be active on platforms used by young people so as to increase their attractiveness as an employer and target young talent effectively.
There is a consensus that it is not the young people who need to come to the companies, but the companies need to go to the young people. ‘Gen Z and Gen want to be met in their environment, the place where they are 24/7– on the Internet and social media. Companies that are not visible here do not exist for the younger generation,’ warns Claudia Kefferpütz from the German Association of the Automotive Industry.
Social media can only help if the companies have a good company website that includes a section about careers. Studies show that a company website is the most important source of information for young people about a company. They do not need to be greeted in a completely different style here, but there must be tangible company insights and depictions of training opportunities, such as a typical ‘day in the life’ in job profiles – preferably in video format.
In addition to digital communication, regional visibility is key: education fairs, ideas such as Girls’/Boys’ Days or a Training Night, collaborations with schools and good contacts with local careers advice services. The first place for companies looking for young talent to search is always the local area.
In the end, it is all about personal contact. This is one reason why Merve Bostanci, responsible for recruiting at TÜV Nord, is involved in Ambition at the Automechanika show: ‘Lack of skilled workers affects us all. So it is all the more important that we do more than merely filling open posts. During the recruiting process, we want to win people over and inspire them to join us as an employer. To do so, we need to meet potential new staff as often as possible in person and understand their motivation and passion better. And that is exactly what we’re doing at Ambition.’
Schrauberblog: Meet Marco and Christian
Follow the Schrauberblog at Automechanika 2024 in Frankfurt and learn how to appeal to young target groups with specific actions:
- The Schrauberblog stand will be in hall 9 with the Corteco T3 Bus Podcaststudio project vehicle, where podcasts and interviews will be recorded.
- Wheel change challenge with the Nasty Unicorns drift crew at Ambition in hall 3.1, daily at 2 p.m.
- The career platform Schrauberjobs will be present in the Recruiting Box in hall 3.1 with daily slots where you can get to know the Schrauberbloggers, ask questions about training and further education and get information about the Schrauberjobs platform.
- Electric kart project at the Future Mobility Park on Saturday. Here, Schrauberblog will build two electric karts and the bodywork by ZKF will be painted at the trade fair. Two teams of mechanics will rebuild the vehicle and drive the finished karts on the Future Mobility Park test track.
You may also be interested in:
- ‘Never stay in one place, always keep moving’ - Gen Z and mobility
- On the fast track to becoming a digital company – Interview with Dr. René Deist, Chief Digital Officer at ZF
- AI as a strategic investment – BorgWarner gives insight into how they already use AI
- Ambition – new Automechanika format for Gen Z