Training to the highest level: From apprenticeships to university

The 2022 study carried out by economist Anna Kleissner showed the economic scale of lightweight construction. In Austria, this interdisciplinary field supports 77,400 jobs and generates 9.4 billion euros in added value. Additionally, one job in the lightweight construction sector creates at least another 1.4 jobs in other sectors of the economy, securing a total of nearly 186,000 jobs in total, which is equivalent to a share of 4.09 percent. Lightweight construction therefore creates more jobs in Austria than the financial services sector or even the employment-intensive building industry.

Employment multiplier

The study commissioned by A2LT and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce also shows that the level of innovation is already above average, but it is important to continue pushing innovation forward in this area to ensure that lightweight construction remains an employment multiplier. And innovations are only possible with the best minds. Austria relies on a diversified offering of training and further education opportunities – from apprenticeships to technical colleges and universities.

40 apprenticeship career paths in Austria

The fact that lightweight construction, like tourism, is an interdisciplinary subject is also reflected in the apprenticeships. An analysis of the list of apprenticeships carried out by A2LT and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce shows that around 40 apprenticeships include aspects of lightweight construction. “As of 31 December 2023, 37,676 apprentices were working in lightweight construction-related professions in Austria. That is 35 percent of all apprentices employed in Austria,” as Stephan Kubinger points out. Kubinger is the Deputy Chairman of the Industry Division at the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce and adds: “Compared to other federal states, Upper Austria is the leader here with a share of 41percent.”

From carpentry to light aircraft engineering

Key lightweight construction materials such as metals, plastics and wood can be found, for example, in metal technology, plastics technology and carpentry apprenticeships. Around 10,000 apprentices are employed in metal engineering alone throughout Austria. In addition to this, an apprenticeship in materials engineering offers training that goes well beyond the individual materials. Constructional aspects of lightweight construction are addressed in apprenticeships such as body design engineering or glass design engineering. On top of this, there are also apprenticeships that deal more intensively with lightweight construction – for example aircraft engineering or ski design engineering. And the name “light aircraft engineering” apprenticeship speaks for itself.

Focus on lightweight construction at the HTL in Ried

Lightweight construction has long been a focus at the HTL (school for higher technical education) in Ried. “As a training centre for mechanical engineering, we are the ideal place to learn the theory behind lightweight construction from scratch. For example, graduates need to be able to create a link between design, process and simulation, replace certain materials with fibre reinforced composites or design load-bearing structures based on role models from nature,” explains Kurt Dobrovnik, who heads the workshop at the HTL. Starting in the autumn of 2024, lightweight construction will be embedded in the new focus area “Robotics and Smart Engineering” and therefore in an even more diverse technological environment.

Supported by the enterprise

Practical training is also a top priority at the HTL in Ried. Companies in the region have joined forces to create a sponsorship association and support the HTL with sponsorship projects, excursions, dissertations, specialist staff and funding. In addition to this, HTLs with a similar focus collaborate. FACC is currently coordinating a hands-on drone project. After graduating from school, graduates either immediately embark their chosen career paths, or start further courses of study at a university.

Interdisciplinary

Speaking of universities, the range of courses on offer at Austria’s technical universities also shows that lightweight construction is an interdisciplinary subject. “Modern lightweight design draws on methods from a wide range of disciplines to achieve weight reductions. The interdisciplinary departments at the Johannes Kepler University Linz with their research-led teaching at an international level, offer the ideal environment for this,” as Martin Schagerl, Head of the Institute of Structural Lightweight Design explains.

Mechanical engineering as the basis

At both the Johannes Kepler University Linz and the HTL in Ried, mechanical engineering is the topical glue which holds everything together. “Our mechanical engineering study program, in which lightweight design is naturally a central topic, draws on the range of courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences in the fields of mechatronics, material and process technology and computer science. In this way, we open up options in interdisciplinary lightweight design for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. students,” says Schagerl. The situation is similar at the Technical University of Graz, where lightweight construction is also integrated into the mechanical engineering syllabus. The university’s Institute of Materials Technology, Joining and Forming technology was founded in 2017.

Polymer Technology as the basis

Montanuniversität Leoben offers students the possibility to specialise in lightweight polymer engineering as part of the Master’s degree program in Polymer Engineering and Science. „Any successful university education needs a sound foundation, just like a building. In Leoben, four pillars representing the four main disciplines of polymer chemistry, materials science, mechanical design, and processing support the study program. Exciting specialisation topics, such as lightweight polymer structures, rest on top of these pillars,” explains Clara Schuecker, who heads the Institute of Designing Plastics and Composite Materials.

The fascination of bionics

Like other disciplines, lightweight design sometimes relies on nature as its role model. This is an exciting topic for Clara Schuecker, and one capable of also attracting people who would otherwise not have chosen a technical field of study: “Bionic design principles found in nature offer an opportunity to engage young people in lightweight design, even those who do not consider engineering as their primary field of interest. Triggering fascination by such examples is the key to inspiring students to become the engineers of our future.”

Lightweight design as an independent course of study

People who want to fully concentrate on lightweight design during their studies have the opportunity to do so at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Campus Wels. There, “Lightweight Design and Composite Materials” is offered as both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree course. The course of study, which is unique in Austria, combines knowledge from the fields of mechanical engineering, production engineering and materials sciences, among others, and is characterised by a large share of research and development projects. The technical university cooperates with many national and international industry and research partners.

Uncomplicated entry

There is a special offer for students who want to first get a taste of lightweight design. They can start their studies along with colleagues from the associated degree courses and opt for “Lightweight Design and Composite Materials” up to the end of the second term. These associated degree programs are Materials Sciences and Production Engineering, Mechanical Development Engineering, Automation Engineering and Smart Production Engineering. The head of the degree program Roland Hinterhölzl tells us more about the lightweight design course at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Campus Wels in an interview on page 8.

Innovative together

Although the options listed here do not fully cover all lightweight construction educational and training options in Austria, one thing seems clear: Companies play an indispensable role, not only in apprenticeships, but also at schools or universities. The same is likely to apply vice versa, as the “GreenLight-Tec” innovation camp shows. The qualification programme is aimed at engineers from companies that are intensively involved in lightweight construction (see page 9 for details). The common objective is innovative solutions and products that reduce the ecological footprint.

Study

Economist Anna Kleissner carried out computations on behalf of A2LT and the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce in 2022 in order to illustrate the economic scope of lightweight construction for the first time and in a way that is unique in Europe. Until then, it had been difficult to map the effects of lightweight construction on value generation and employment due to it being an interdisciplinary topic. As a pilot project, the study also performs important preliminary work for a pan-European harmonised model with a view to making lightweight construction visible as an economic factor.

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