QIB Trainee Award "Everybody-needs-powder" 2022 awarded

Matthias Bader, Chairman of the QIB Technical Commission, created the 2018 award to highlight the importance of young talent. Process mechanics for coating technology have been trained for more than 20 years. In coating technology, skilled workers are needed who know and can control and regulate all processes. It is important to give young skilled personnel a stage and to recognize their outstanding achievements. The award ceremony at the 10th QIB Praxisforum Industriebeschichtung was the highlight of the evening event. In a Pecha Kucha presentation, Matthias Bader outlined the importance of dual training in 20 slides, each lasting 20 seconds, and then presented the awards. The prerequisites for participation were a curriculum vitae, a final report card, a half-year report card, a brief description of the training company with eight to ten pictures, and documentation of the final thesis as a PDF. A jury independently evaluated the work. It consisted of Markus Single, deputy head of department and specialist teacher at Gottlieb Daimler School 1, Matthias Bader, initiator of the award and managing director of Bader Pulverbeschichtung GmbH, and Besser Lackieren editor Marko Schmidt. The first prize went to Natalie Stekic, who successfully completed her training as a process mechanic for coating technology at Kopp Oberflächentechnik AG in Villingen-Schwenningen and the school part at Gottlieb-Daimler-Schule 1 in Sindelfingen. As part of her final thesis, Stekic coated and documented a dining table support and, as a special part, an aluminum stand column as part of a series production order. Stekic completed her training in July 2022 and now works in the in-house application technology department at Kopp Oberflächentechnik AG.

Second prize went to Paula Wagner, who completed her training as a process mechanic for coating technology at Metob Beschichtungen GmbH in Hildburghausen in July. She now works in the quality assurance department. Her exam parts were a series order to coat a mounting frame made of galvanized steel with KTL as well as three test sheets. As a special part, the graduate had to coat a steel crossbeam and four test sheets first with KTL and then with powder coating. Niclas Hund was honored in third place. He successfully completed his training at Hund GmbH in Grünkraut and at the Gottlieb Daimler School 1 after just two and a half years in February and now works as a process mechanic for coating technology in the family business. Here, too, a series order and a demanding special part were coated. Mohammad Mirzaie received a special prize. He came from Afghanistan as a refugee in 2016, graduated from secondary school in 2018 and successfully completed his training as a process mechanic for coating technology at Ehret GmbH in Orschweier. Currently, Mirzaie works as a lab technician and coating shutter production in shifts. "He has achieved an outstanding performance, which we honor with this special award. The challenges for refugees, some of whom have no or poor schooling, in our system are very high," said Markus Single, deputy head of department and subject teacher at Gottlieb Daimler School 1, explaining the jury's decision. In addition to the trophy, certificate and cash prize offered by the QIB, the winners received a shopping voucher and a 3-month test of the Coatmaster for non-contact coating thickness measurement from Prof. Dr. Nils Reinke, Managing Director of the Azubi Award sponsor Coatmaster.