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The company has been promoting youth and technology for 20 years
There is an air of excitement and suspense once again: from 5th to 8th
October the WorldSkills competition will be staged at ExCeL London, and
Festo will be participating with a team of its own and as a Global
Sponsor Partner.  The
41st instalment of this international vocational championship is
expected to attract around 1,000 participants from over 50 countries,
who are setting out to demonstrate their prowess in 46 vocational
fields.
One of the largest disciplines in this competition is mechatronics. Two
young mechatronics engineers from Festo, who qualified in early 2011 at
the German Mechatronics Skills Competition at Stuttgart’s didacta trade
fair, are currently undergoing intense preparation for their big moment
as “Team Deutschland”: the Festo trainees Christian Schweizer and Tobias
Dietrich will be lining up in the Mechatronics competition against 31
further teams from various countries.
“Education, innovation and technology are the key factors in extending our technological lead. Education has long since no longer been just the responsibility of the state: we as a company are called upon to invest in future top performers. This is especially true of jobs for the future,” said Dr. Theodor Niehaus, Managing Director of Festo Didactic.
Festo, a global player in automation technology and the world market leader in technical training and education, initiated the first Mechatronics competition at WorldSkills in 1991. The Mobile Robotics competition followed in 2007, in which the mobile learning system Robotino® played the leading role. Festo now supports the Mechatronics and Mobile Robotics competitions with hardware, organisational measures and on-site technical support.
The prerequisites: technical knowledge and a level head
These competitions call for technical know-how, but the participants must also keep a level head: in the Mechatronics competition industrial mechatronic systems are built, put into operation, programmed, optimised and overhauled – within a specified time limit. Beforehand, the participants only know a part of the assignment and the hardware to be used. The teams are only given most of their tasks at the beginning of each competition day. “This is the best way for young mechatronics engineers to adapt to real-life everyday working situations,” said Andreas Veil from Festo, runner-up at the 2005 WorldSkills competition. Flexibility, team spirit, adaptability and improvisational skills are demanded of the young specialists here – just as in real life.
 Festo promotes education and demands responsibility
In the 20th year of WorldSkills, the MPS® stations from Festo Didactic are bearing out their practical relevance in industrial education. For engineers in the fields of mechatronics, automation electronics and operational electronics, the “Modular Production System” provides realistic learning conditions that optimally prepare candidates for their future careers. “In addition to professional competence, action-oriented learning at MPS® stations also promotes soft skills such as self-reliance and teamwork,” said Michael Linn, Product Manager at Festo Didactic and chief expert at WorldSkills.
Growing demands in industry call for a new approach in education. This has also brought about a change in requirements for the participants, on whom greater demands are now placed than only a few years ago. Festo sees it as its duty and responsibility to enthuse young people for engineering and to support them in training, thereby creating career opportunities. This is why Festo is involved in national and international projects such as WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills International, in order to secure excellence in training and to establish international educational standards.
 Festo Press Release 111004 20 years of enthusiasm
The prerequisites: technical knowledge and a level head
These competitions call for technical know-how, but the participants must also keep a level head: in the Mechatronics competition industrial mechatronic systems are built, put into operation, programmed, optimised and overhauled – within a specified time limit. Beforehand, the participants only know a part of the assignment and the hardware to be used. The teams are only given most of their tasks at the beginning of each competition day. “This is the best way for young mechatronics engineers to adapt to real-life everyday working situations,” said Andreas Veil from Festo, runner-up at the 2005 WorldSkills competition. Flexibility, team spirit, adaptability and improvisational skills are demanded of the young specialists here – just as in real life.
Festo promotes education and demands responsibility
In the 20th year of WorldSkills, the MPS® stations from Festo Didactic are bearing out their practical relevance in industrial education. For engineers in the fields of mechatronics, automation electronics and operational electronics, the “Modular Production System” provides realistic learning conditions that optimally prepare candidates for their future careers. “In addition to professional competence, action-oriented learning at MPS® stations also promotes soft skills such as self-reliance and teamwork,” said Michael Linn, Product Manager at Festo Didactic and chief expert at WorldSkills.
Growing demands in industry call for a new approach in education. This has also brought about a change in requirements for the participants, on whom greater demands are now placed than only a few years ago. Festo sees it as its duty and responsibility to enthuse young people for engineering and to support them in training, thereby creating career opportunities. This is why Festo is involved in national and international projects such as WorldSkills Germany and WorldSkills International, in order to secure excellence in training and to establish international educational standards.
WorldSkills Leipzig 2013 – made in Germany
Festo has a long tradition of involvement in vocational competitions. In 1991, Festo was the first company to become a Global Sponsor Partner of WorldSkills International. The initial idea was to unite technology with fun and enjoyment. And the success story is continuing: the international vocational competitions will be held in Leipzig in 2013, for the first time in Germany. Education will become an increasingly important aspect of our society – on both a national and an international scale.
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