Industrial Mentors Recruit Young Talent at Open Air Frauenfeld

The action is set against the backdrop of a skilled labor shortage in Swiss industry that has persisted for years. The approximately 4,000 surveyed companies cite as the most common reason for open apprenticeships that they received insufficient or no applications at all. According to the Nahtstellenbarometer (Transition Barometer) by the research company GfS Bern, in April 62 percent of young people interested in an apprenticeship were already in possession of a signed training contract.

Where the Biggest Gaps Exist

Nevertheless, more than 11,000 apprenticeships are still advertised on the website berufsberatung.ch. On the apprenticeship portal Yousty, there are even more than 15,000, including trial apprenticeships. The construction sector is particularly affected: in 2025, according to the Nahtstellenbarometer, every fourth apprenticeship remained unfilled. In the hospitality industry and the manufacturing sector, it was 18 percent each.

The association Swissmem, which represents the Swiss mechanical, electrical, and metal industries, organizes the companies' appearances at music festivals. At Open Air Frauenfeld, industry was represented with a booth to approach young people in a relaxed atmosphere. At the booth, it was said that many young people have a distorted image of industrial work and associate it with monotonous assembly line work; in fact, the industry increasingly offers high-tech professions with development prospects.

From Festival Conversation to Trial Apprenticeship

Employees of the four companies explained specific career profiles to visitors, from automation technician and polymechanic to logistician and design engineer. An apprentice at Schindler said she herself had first spoken with an industrial company at Open Air Frauenfeld and had thus become aware of her apprenticeship. For the companies, the appearance is, according to their own statements, an investment: per contact at the festival, they expect comparatively low costs compared to traditional recruitment fairs.

The regional distribution of apprenticeships also remains uneven. Urban businesses have an advantage in recruitment; in alpine regions, it is most challenging: last year, 8 percent of training companies there stated that despite intensive searching, they could not find any apprentices at all. The companies are therefore trying to reach new target groups through their presence at major events such as Open Air Frauenfeld.

Regional Differences in Recruitment

A company representative said the festival is not about direct contract signings, but about initial points of contact. «Ich bin am Gate 5; das ist meine kleine Welt», a staff member at the industry booth described her external assignment. Those who become interested in an apprenticeship after the conversation can subsequently arrange a trial apprenticeship.

The participants view the appearance as part of a longer-term image campaign. Given demographic developments and the rising number of unfilled apprenticeships in industry and skilled trades, the sector must find new ways to inspire young people for technical professions. Open Air Frauenfeld provides a stage for this, attracting tens of thousands of young people each year.

Image Campaign for Technical Professions

The appearance at the festival is embedded in a broader debate about the attractiveness of vocational training in Switzerland. While the academic rate has been rising for years, industry associations complain about too few applications for technical apprenticeships. The companies at Open Air Frauenfeld are banking on a conversation at the music festival having a long-term effect – even if an apprenticeship contract is only concluded months later.