Premiere at Blechexpo/Schweisstec: “Shape Your Dreams, Metal Your Future” – Career Friday for Pupils, Students and Entry-Level Employees

Frickenhausen, Germany – 11 February 2025 – Schall trade fair promoters will present a new highlight at Blechexpo/Schweisstec 2025, namely Career Friday! The “Shape Your Dreams, Metal Your Future” campaign invites young talent to discover the diverse career opportunities offered by the sheet metal working industry at first hand.

Pupils, students and entry-level professionals will be able to visit international exhibitors at their booths in the ten exhibition halls at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre and participate in guided tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday the 24th of October, 2025. The initiative provides an impressive platform for linking up young professionals and companies with the support of exhibitors, media partners and associations.

“Our goal is to inspire young people to pursue a career in the sheet metal working industry and to introduce them to the sector’s great diversity and exciting prospects,” says Bettina Schall, Managing Director of Schall trade fair promoters. “Career Friday offers pupils, students and career starters the unique opportunity of making direct contact with industry experts, asking specific questions, familiarising themselves with a great variety of technologies and exploring possible career paths.”

This is also confirmed by the industry, which sees Career Friday as a valuable opportunity to inspire young talent for its professions. Well-known companies have already confirmed their participation, including Bruderer AG, as its trainer Roman Stocker emphasises: “We’ll definitely be actively involved, because precision and technology are our passion – and we’re happy to pass them on directly to tomorrow’s specialists at Blechexpo/Schweisstec. We’re opening up exciting future prospects for talented young people with world-class training in the field of metal and sheet metal processing. Our modern training workshop not only offers solid basic training, but rather inspiring, innovative learning content as well. As a leading supplier of high-performance stamping technology, we impart valuable know-how and cutting-edge technologies so that up-and-coming talent can play an active role in shaping the future of sheet metal production.”

The metal and sheet metal processing industry offers attractive career opportunities – from technical design to production and quality assurance. Work-study programmes, apprenticeships and internships open up numerous entry opportunities. The industry also contributes to important social tasks, because metals and metal products are essential for infrastructure, machinery manufacturing, transport and energy. With sustainable approaches and international projects, it’s ideal for future-oriented career starters.

‘Do what you want, but make something of yourself!’ is what Gloria Schiel, HR Officer at Otto Bihler Maschinenfabrik, tells her trainees. ‘As a medium-sized family business, we are proud of our decades-long success story, in which training has always been very important. The job should be enjoyable, interesting and exciting and offer the best perspectives for the future. We pass on a wealth of experience and a great range of practical expertise along the way. But our key to success has always been the ‘we’!’

On Career Friday, exhibiting companies will offer active insights into their corporate culture, as well as the values and innovative technologies which mould their routine daily work. For example, aspiring professionals can experience how automation and AI are used to create modern working environments. At the same time, employers will demonstrate how they’re creating attractive career opportunities through flexible working models, development perspectives and sustainability – inspiring insights into the future world of work and a unique experience for tomorrow’s professionals. Visits to the trade fair and guided tours are free of charge for pupils, students, teachers, university representatives and entry-level employees on Career Friday.

Blechexpo/Schweisstec is a leading trade fair for sheet metal working and joining technology. Once every two years, it brings international exhibitors and expert visitors together in Stuttgart to present the most up-to-date technologies, innovative solutions and industry-specific trends. As a central platform for networking and exchanging knowledge, the trade fair offers a broad range of impetus for the industry. The trade fair duo will take place at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre from the 21st through the 24th of October, 2025.