The questions that the HVAC + Water sector must answer in respect to the shortage of skilled personnel are manifold. How can I attract young people to the sector? What are the best measures to be used in this connection? Where can I find suitable young people? ISH, the trade fair for HVAC + Water, in Frankfurt am Main from 11 to 15 March 2019, will tackle many of these aspects.
At Career @ ISH, exhibitors and visitors will find a multi-faceted range of activities on subjects relating to basic and advanced training and professional changes. These activities have been organised by Messe Frankfurt in cooperation with the conceptual partners of ISH, the Federation of the German Heating Industry (BDH), the Association of Air Conditioning and Ventilation in Buildings (FGK), the German Association for Energy Efficiency in Building Services (VdZ) and the German Sanitation, Heating and Air Conditioning Association (ZVSHK).
For the first time, ISH is offering occupational safety seminars for trainees from the HVAC + Water sector, organised by the Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention for the Building Industry (BG BAU). Trainees are offered important information about accident prevention and safety at work – not at technical college but during the fair. In addition to this seminar, they can also demonstrate their skills in a tour of many exhibition stands within the framework of Young Competence live.
During the ISH Championship, six recently qualified journeymen will demonstrate their skills. On three days, these young people will compete against each other for the title of ISH Champion and prize money of € 4,000, which will be presented on the Thursday.
In addition to the shortage of skilled personnel, the HVAC + Water sector is also confronted by numerous other changes. New regulations and requirements for climate protection and resource conservation are challenging the industry to develop new, efficient products at ever-faster intervals. To this end, is it better to invest in one’s own research and development or to buy in ideas and know-how from young, innovative start-ups? The new Start-up @ ISH area offers initial points of contact: a total of 28 young, innovative start-ups from the sector present their ideas, products and business models and give entrepreneurs and the industry the chance to make contact and generate new impulses.
Additionally, networking events on the Tuesday and Thursday, as well as comprehensive knowledge-transfer programmes and a speed-dating event, will promote the exchange of ideas and information between young companies, exhibitors and visitors.
At the Campus @ ISH area, several universities will make individual presentations outlining the parameters of their courses of study relevant to the sanitation, heating and air-conditioning sector and exhibit their projects.
At the same time, the new online ISH Job Exchange will be launched with the opening of the fair. At this portal (www.ish-jobs.com), exhibitors can advertise their situations vacant. Additionally, it gives skilled personal the chance to publish their profiles and make contact with each other in the Job Exchange.
In this collaboration with the patrons of the ISH, Messe Frankfurt is initiating these projects to draw attention to the great attractiveness and future orientation of the sanitation, heating and air-conditioning sector and to make its know-how accessible to the young generation.