Simply top in Europe

At EuroSkills Gdansk 2023, 600 young professionals under the age of 25 from 32 countries took part in competitions and demonstrations in 42 different trades. Under the motto "United by Skills. We can change the world," participants represented their countries as the best trainees in each.

Mechatronics competition

Daniel Schmid and Timo Oßwald are mechatronics apprentices at Festo and are currently in their fourth year of training. They came second in the national German Championship 2021 in Mechatronics. This is how they made their way to EuroSkills Gdańsk 2023.

The task in the mechatronics competition was to build a faultlessly functioning automated production system. Festo Didactic provided the Modular Production System, or MPS for short, for the competition. In addition to cylinders and valves, sensors, grippers, an electric axis with stepper motor and PLC were also used.

An individual order is placed via an HMI touch display: Color, number of pieces and number of contents of five containers. The HMI display shows technical data, such as the number of parts still to be filled or energy consumption. By pressing the start button, the first containers are taken from the stacking magazine. They pass through quality control, are filled with contents, receive a lid and are packed in a cardboard box. Then they are transported to their removal position.

WorldSkills Europe

The biennial EuroSkills, organized by WorldSkills Europe together with 32 member countries, brings together hundreds of young professionals from all over Europe. They take the opportunity to be among the best in Europe in their respective professions. WorldSkills is a movement to promote vocational training. In Europe, it is supported by various European ministries, funds and organizations.

Festo has been an official partner of WorldSkills Europe since 2008 and sponsors the skill Mechatronics, among others. In 2022, Festo was awarded Premium Sponsor by WorldSkills Europe. "Industrial companies need skilled workers. As a global player, Festo has been promoting vocational training for young people in technical professions for decades," emphasizes Dr. Oliver Niese, Member of the Management Board of Festo Didactic. Industrial companies benefit immediately from the thorough and targeted vocational education and training of these young specialists. They can immediately apply their specialized knowledge and skills to their new position and thus help to strengthen the industry.