How commercial vehicle workshops are committed to the Unimog specialists of the future.

The shortage of young talent is a problem facing virtually every sector. Companies have been experiencing an increasing lack of skilled workers for many years. In the automotive industry, this shortage is hitting commercial vehicles particularly hard. Compared to passenger cars, they are at an even greater disadvantage – and yet this field of activity is a very exciting one. Given that workshops offer such attractive assignments and opportunities, more and more of them are proactively committed to promoting young talent in this area. The attraction of many campaigns is the Unimog from Mercedes-Benz Trucks.

Promotion of young talent begins in school; within companies, it must be an integral part of the culture.

A common complaint from the commercial vehicle industry is that finding and retaining suitable personnel is becoming more difficult year on year. This starts with training. There’s no shortage of young people with a fascination for vehicles, repair work, etc. However, the physical strain of working as a truck mechatronics technician is perceived to be greater than in the passenger car sector. This discourages a lot of people.

It is therefore more important than ever to get the next generation interested in the industry at as early a stage as possible. In addition to face-to-face events such as education fairs, school internships are a particularly valuable opportunity for workshops today – not only to offer young people guidance as they enter the world of work, but also to present themselves as an exciting company for prospective trainees. After all, the outlook is promising: it is not uncommon for a school internship to turn into a training programme, complete with a specialist technical qualification.

The solution sounds simple, but the goal is to live it: companies that offer training positions must retain their specialists in the long term – through professional training, showing appreciation for their employees’ work, and offering a good work-life balance. The good news is that the conditions for this are very good in many places.

A job for specialists: not everyone can do the Unimog.

Choosing to become a truck mechatronics technician means choosing a job with great potential. Personal talent is particularly promoted even at the training stage. One of the major challenges in commercial vehicle workshops is the Unimog – because the Special Truck from Mercedes-Benz Trucks is truly exceptional and, many say, "the top choice of every vehicle mechatronics technician".

The Unimog has a very clear unique selling point. While municipal trucks and vans are easier to handle and assemble, the versatile Unimog requires particular precision. For some trainees, this even makes the Special Truck an attraction and particular motivation for undertaking a training programme. It’s not for nothing that the Unimog is described by experts as the Swiss army knife of the automotive industry: the commercial vehicle bearing the three-pointed star offers versatility – its areas of application and numerous implements make it unique. However, the hydraulics of these implements in particular are complex. Conversely, this also means that if you can do the Unimog, you can do anything.

Exciting workshop campaigns to promote young talent.

Many workshops are actively committed to counteracting the shortage of skilled workers and, above all, to positively influencing the promotion of young talent.