A lack of young technical talent, a shortage of skilled labour in many areas, too few women or migration abroad are among the common reports about the engineering sector in Germany. As part of the "Future Germany 2050" initiative, the VDI has addressed the issue of qualifications in the engineering profession. At a press conference, the association presented challenges and solutions for the skills of the future and called on education policy, universities and industry to resolutely adapt engineering training to the requirements of the future.
Only with modern curricula, innovative teaching methods and stronger links with industry can Germany attract the urgently needed specialists for key technologies such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation and sustainability and train them for the future. Germany's overall competitiveness is being put to the test. Future technologies and technical innovations are increasingly coming from the USA or China. In order to keep up, Germany still needs a large number of skilled technical workers. At the same time, many baby boomers will be retiring in the coming years.
Too few young engineers are causing a shortage of skilled labour
Demographics are working against Germany and German universities are only graduating 90,000 to 100,000 young engineers every year. Debates about university funding, a lack of teaching capacity and low visibility among international leaders further cloud the picture, even though German engineering education enjoys a high international reputation.
"Engineering education is at a high level in Germany. However, we must not cling to old curricula. Competencies from technology fields such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, sustainability and methodological skills, e.g. in the area of interdisciplinary work, must become an integral part of university teaching in our country," explains VDI Director Adrian Willig in Düsseldorf. Flexibility and soft skills now play a major role. This is also confirmed by the "Innovation@Risk" survey of VDI Young Engineers.
Almost 50% of the students and young professionals surveyed are dissatisfied with the proportion of soft skills learnt during their studies. The skills considered important include communication skills, time management, presentation skills and interdisciplinary thinking and working. The conclusion: the requirements of the degree programme do not do justice to the rapid pace of technological change.
VDI presents recommendations for the skills of the future
According to the VDI/IW Engineer Monitor, there are over 106,000 vacancies in the engineering and IT sector in Germany (Q2/25). The situation has improved compared to previous quarters, but there is still a significant gap. At the same time, shifts are emerging between the sectors. The tense situation in the automotive sector is making itself felt. Higher unemployment is the result. The medical technology and pharmaceutical sectors are also desperately looking for skilled labour. The question is being asked: What skills are engineers currently best equipped with? And what does this mean for engineering degree programmes?
In order to actively meet these challenges, the VDI has developed the paper "Impulses for the education and qualification of the future". This paper sets out concrete steps to secure the engineering education of the future:
- Systematically embed future skills: expansion of interdisciplinary study models, integration of AI and digitalisation topics and recognition of microcredentials in the course of continuing education and lifelong learning.
- Promote innovative teaching methods: Use of AI-supported learning, augmented reality and virtual labs, combined with practical formats such as challenge-based learning. Promote learning through practical challenges.
- Strengthen cooperation between universities and industry: The needs of companies must be incorporated into course content more quickly in order to optimally prepare graduates for the labour market.
- Counteract the shortage of skilled labour: Attract more students to engineering subjects, increase the proportion of women and retain international talent in the long term.
"With the right skills, we not only secure Germany's innovative strength, but also the economic strength of our location," emphasises Prof. Antonia Kesel, Chairwoman of the VDI's Professional Policy Advisory Board. "We urgently need speed in the transformation of engineering education and the integration of universities and industry."
Adaptation of university degree programmes within three years realistic
The introduction of a new degree programme in Germany is a multi-stage process that must be legally, organisationally and content-wise secured. The duration depends heavily on the university, federal state and type of degree programme. 1.5 to 3 years is realistic. Is that too slow? "The quality of the training speaks in favour of the process, but it should be possible to implement adjustments at a certain speed so that current needs due to accelerating technological change can be incorporated into the training. Microcredentials are one way of doing this," says Prof Kesel from Bremen University of Applied Sciences.
The VDI sees itself as a bridge between universities, companies and politics. With its own programmes such as WoMentorING and VDI-Xpand, it provides impetus to promote talent and make the engineering profession fit for the future. The VDI initiative "Future Germany 2050" is concerned with the long-term prospects of our economic and technological centre. Among other things, the initiative focuses on the entire "life cycle" of skills development: from technical education in nurseries and schools to engineering training and further education (lifelong learning).
Further information can be found at www.vdi.de.
