A new image campaign from Metalindustriens Uddannelser aims to do away with the perception of blacksmithing as dirty and hard work. Because blacksmithing opens up a wide range of possibilities. For the benefit of the individual and society.
Will need 1,900 blacksmiths in 2030
Because there are too few who want to be blacksmiths. And that is a problem because the blacksmiths are crucial for, among other things, the green transition. An analysis prepared by COWI for Industriens Uddannelser shows that in 2030 there will be a shortage of up to 1,900 skilled workers in the blacksmith trade alone if the political objective of 70 per cent. reduction of CO2 emissions must be realized.
Huge amounts of metal
“Imagine a piece of flat, hard metal in front of you. About 1000 grams. Are you able to bend it? Split it in half? Make a small table out of it? A sculpture? A space telescope? Multiply the 1000 grams by 3,200,000,000,000 and you have the enormous amounts of metal produced annually worldwide. It is not without reason that the amount is enormous – because metal is indispensable in everything from high-tech industries to wind farms, bridges and ships. And just as indispensable are those who can process it, repair it and recycle it: the blacksmiths.”
Organizations collaborate
This is the core narrative that Metalindustriens Uddannelser(The metal industry’s educations, ed) has created in connection with the upcoming image campaign for the blacksmith profession. Dansk Industri(Danish industry, ed), Dansk Metal(Danish metal, ed) and Tekniq Arbejdsgiverne(Tekniq Employers, ed) are behind the campaign. With the campaign, the organizations want to communicate the opportunities, the necessity and the reality that blacksmiths today have and stand with.
In the chairmanship of Metalindustriens Uddannelser are Signe Tychsen Philip, deputy director of Dansk Industry and chairman of Metalindustriens’ Education Committee, and Kasper Palm, federal secretary of Dansk Metal and deputy chairman of Metalindustriens’ Education Committee.
Bends, welds and cuts
– We hear it again and again – there is a shortage of skilled workers. Especially if we are to achieve our green ambitions. And here the blacksmith profession plays an absolutely crucial role. It is the blacksmiths who build the foundations for the wind turbines, the blacksmiths who build Power2X systems, the blacksmiths who bend, weld and cut all the metal that is so crucial both today and in the future, says Signe Tychsen Philip.
Unlimited possibilities in metal
The campaign has a particular focus on the complexity of the metal itself, the knowledge and skills the profession requires and not least the doors that the education opens.
– At the blacksmith training, we train the blacksmiths of the future. With the training, you become an expert in the properties, possibilities and limitations of metals. If you first have a blacksmith’s education, you have unique knowledge, a technique and a craft that you can take with you everywhere. With the campaign, we want both the future apprentice and, to a large extent, the general population to open their eyes to the unimaginable opportunities that exist in the world for those who can shape and understand metal, says Kasper Palm.
The campaign is financed by funds from the Tripartite Agreement on more apprenticeships and clear responsibility.
