German craft championship: Cleaning journeymen
Whether with rags or machines: Ten young tradesmen competed in the German Building Cleaning Championships in Düsseldorf. The journeymen - nine men and one woman - competed on Thursday in the three disciplines of floor cleaning, glass cleaning and upholstery cleaning. In the end, 20-year-old Sarah Lutz from Baden-Württemberg won, according to a spokesperson.
The jury from the Federal Association of Building Cleaners chose a church as the venue for the competition: the listed St. Lambert's Basilica.
Until the inspection the day before, the types of work had remained a secret for the participants, said jury chairman René Frackowiak. For example, the journeymen cleaned the windows of the church front from the outside on a work platform several meters above the ground, removed dirt from the floor inside using automatic cleaning machines and removed wax stains from pew cushions using irons and blotting paper. At each station, the organization, work process and the final result of the cleaning were assessed by two judges, explained Frackowiak.
Craftsmen who completed their journeyman's examination with the grade "good" and were not older than 27 at the time of the examination qualified for the competition. Each candidate comes from a different federal state and has already won the state competition there.
"The skilled trades are all about performance," said North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur (Greens) during her visit to the competition. "We want young people to decide to pursue a career in the skilled trades."
The church's vibrant stained glass windows served as a backdrop for the colorful craftsmanship displayed during the competition. To enhance their education and showcase their skills, each competitor crafted a unique color scheme for the cleaning tasks assigned.
Source: www.dpa.com
