Our pioneers in the welding booth and training workshop

Sophia Loser and Josephine Crapanzano are the first girls to complete an apprenticeship at HÖRMANN Automotive Eislingen - and as a "double pack". "I've been a trainer for over 20 years," says Artur Knödlseder, trainer at HÖRMANN Automotive Eislingen GmbH. "So far, I've always had boys for training as construction mechanics.

But the two girls absolutely convinced me, they really wanted to do it. During the trial days, they spent a day in the welding cabin and really gave it their all. For example, they were more skilled at filing than many of the boys. And they were both equally good, so we took them both."

Since September 2021, Sophia and Josephine have enjoyed coming to work every day, as their trainer emphasizes, and learning a wide variety of manual skills in the training workshop. "The first project is always U-steel." U-steel profiles are steel beams that are used in steel construction, for example hall construction, bridge construction, industrial and commercial construction, but also in mechanical engineering and vehicle construction.

The training workshop has been newly set up and will be further expanded so that the trainees are - initially - in a protected space. "Especially in the first year of training. After that, they then move through the various departments at our plant." Artur Knödlseder is convinced that the two girls can do the job just as well: "What they lack in strength, they can compensate for with brains and the future belongs to robots, the proportion of manual work will continue to decrease. So a lot of mental work is required."