The 160 recent vocational school graduates don’t even have their diploma in their hands and they’re already being courted from all sides. “Perhaps you will also think of us,” said the head of the vocational school, Frank Ritzel, in his speech at the graduation ceremony of the Dachau State Vocational School on Monday. “You are wanted. You are needed.” Have you ever thought about studying to become a teacher or even working in the Ministry of Culture?
District Administrator Stefan Löwl (CSU) is also promoting, for once not for his party, but for taking up political honorary posts: “Our democracy lives on the fact that you get involved. Don’t just mock and write on Twitter: ‘They have no idea anyway'”.
One might find this round dance about the achievement potential of the young a bit exaggerated on a day when the graduates have reached a milestone in life when they perhaps just want to take a deep breath and be a human being instead of a worker. But one thing is very clear: for the graduates in this auditorium, where many things are still more of a possibility than reality, elbows will be extended if necessary. Society needs them. Urgent. “Contribute to shaping and improving society,” appeals to Ritzel.
There may be a lack of skilled workers and voluntary commitment in the country, but there is certainly no lack of variety in the degrees in this freshly renovated, bright auditorium of the vocational school. Plant mechanics pass through the entrance gate to the labor market on this day, as do clerks, carpenters and painters. 35 graduates are honored for outstanding achievements – with state prizes, district medals and book prizes from the district and the city of Dachau.
“You hardly see female drivers.”
One in particular stands out: Elisa Buchholz. Among 24 automotive mechatronics technicians, she is not only the only woman, but also the best in her class. For this she received a special honor from the school. “You hardly see female drivers,” she says. Does that sometimes get exhausting, as a woman in a male domain? There was one case where a customer became unfriendly. He said: You can tell from her knowledge that she is an apprentice. Otherwise she was “actually always taken seriously”.
How did Buchholz come up with the idea of becoming a car mechatronics technician? “Something always broke. With the motorcycle and also with my car. So I thought to myself, I’ll just learn it now, then I can fix it myself.” You can see people like Buchholz as a pioneer who didn’t really want to be one: as a woman who follows her interests and at the same time clears the way of some prejudices. Buchholz does not yet know how things will continue for her. Maybe she’ll add an apprenticeship as a two-wheeler mechatronics technician. “Or I’ll join the army.”
District Administrator Löwl gave words of encouragement to the “girls and young women”: “Don’t be afraid to stand up for your rights.” And Vanessa Moser, who was the student representative for two years and is now completing her training as an e-commerce clerk with an average of 1.0, swears to her classmates: “I hope that we will never lose heart in achieving our goals .”
There’s a lot of talk about pride and happiness
Before the graduates finally leave their school, the speakers – as is customary on such occasions – advise them on certain feelings. They may “be proud”, “feel honoured”, “appreciated” and even “feel happy at work”. District Administrator Löwl reveals the latter as “the secret of being happy”.
As important as the role of a fulfilling job may be, Mayor Florian Hartmann (SPD) wishes the young graduates to find happiness in their private lives today: “It’s been a while since I went to school, but I’m sure it will too today’s generation of students knows how to party properly.”