Nordhausen - On June 10, 13 prospective welders from the BV Süd, BV Ost and BV Erfurt districts competed in the "Jugend schweißt" state competition. On the premises of SCHACHTBAU NORDHAUSEN GmbH's welding training center, the budding professional welders first demonstrated their knowledge in the written skills test and then produced test pieces in the various welding processes.

Among the participants were Schachtbau apprentices Rouven Holzapfel and Jonas Leon Henning, who had qualified for the state competition in Rudolstadt in April.

After the written part of the competition, the electric arcs were ignited for initial exercises, followed by welding of the test pieces. Each participant had to hand in three different test pieces. At the same time, the already completed test pieces were already sifted through by the jury, measured, fractures closely inspected and evaluated. After noon, Thomas Gottwald guided the participants, their supervisors and the sponsors through the production halls of the BMA plant and the steel construction department, before the award ceremony took place at 3 pm. Chris Held from Bildungswerk Bau Hessen-Thüringen, BZO Gera, won the MAG metal active gas welding competition. Schachtbau apprentice Rouven Holzapfel came second. Jonas Henning from SCHACHTBAU NORDHAUSEN GmbH won first place in TIG - tungsten inert gas welding.

The two first-place winners will represent Thuringia in September at the "Schweißen und Schneiden" (Welding and Cutting) trade fair in Essen (https://www.schweissen-schneiden.com/fuegen-trennen-beschichten/).