Master craftsmanship: Journeymen compete in the cleaning race
Whether with rags or machines: Ten young tradesmen competed in the German Building Cleaning Championships in Düsseldorf. The journeymen - nine men and one woman - were able to compete in the three disciplines of floor cleaning, glass cleaning and upholstery cleaning on Thursday. The jury from the Bundesinnungsverband des Gebäudereiniger-Handwerks chose a church as the venue: the listed St. Lambertus 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 craftsmanship displayed by the participants was colorful, showcasing their creativity and attention to detail in each cleaning task. The educational aspect of the competition was evident, as the journeymen learned and applied various techniques to improve their craft in the field of building cleaning.
Source: www.dpa.com
