Apprentices Are “Energy Scouts”

Improving energy efficiency plays a significant role in the success of the energy transition and in achieving Europe’s climate goals. By participating in the “Energy Scouts” project, Werner Schmid hopes to make a further contribution to environmental protection.

“Energy Scouts” is a project of the SME Initiative for the Energy Transition and Climate Protection and is implemented regionally by, among others, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. In two-day training sessions, apprentices are made aware of the importance of energy efficiency and are equipped with the necessary tools to identify and implement energy-saving measures. Working in small teams, the apprentices then examine their own companies and develop strategies to increase energy efficiency. The focus is on the Kaizen philosophy: Trainees are not expected to replace energy consultants or initiate large-scale projects requiring significant investment. Rather, the goal is to identify and eliminate small, often everyday instances of waste and to highlight improvements that can be implemented as directly as possible.

This year, Werner Schmid participated in the project with two teams. Apprentices from the fields of industrial mechanics, toolmaking, and IT jointly analyzed the company and identified various areas for further improving energy efficiency. This led to two implementation projects: one team is focusing on thermal efficiency in office buildings, while the other is addressing the energy efficiency of small electronic devices throughout the company.

In April, our thermal efficiency team was selected by an independent panel of experts as one of the top three teams in the Fulda district. They will now have the opportunity to present their project at a conference in Berlin this summer. We are delighted with this excellent result and extend our heartfelt congratulations to our apprentices!