Credit: MENEJ

Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, Children and Youth has announced the launch of a new campaign aimed at promoting high-tech training for the professions of the futureamong secondary school pupils.

“The future is SMART” campaign puts the spotlight on sixteen vocational training courses through a video presenting secondary school, work environment in a company and testimonials from students, business leaders and teachers.

The professions covered by this new campaign are constantly evolving and create many diverse jobs. The job market requires more and more qualified and specialised people in new fields or fields which are being profoundly transformed by digitalisation and automation. For example, according to polls carried out by the Luxembourg Lifelong Learning Centre, 86% of young graduates in the field of car and motorcycle mechanics and 96% of qualified computer scientists found employment within the first four months after graduation.

The Education Ministry noted that secondary schools offering such courses have excellent infrastructures guaranteeing modern, practical training. Some training courses are full-time at the school and allow the student to undetake a twelve-week internship in a company. Other training is in the form of an apprenticeship, which has a double advantage: the pupil is paid and acquires practical skills in a professional environment.

The ministry integrates the phenomenon of digitalisation by constantly adapting study programmes or by creating new training courses. “Smart Technologies” training has been offered since 2019 by five secondary schools and currently has 156 students. It replaced the old training programme in electrical engineering and offers five different specialisations in infotronics, renewable energies, robotics and automation, smart energy and e-controls.

The growing popularity of soft mobility has led to the creation of two cycle mechanics training courses, as a vocational capacity certificate (certificat de capacité professionnelle - CCP) and a vocational aptitude diploma (Diplôme d'aptitude professionnelle - DAP). This practical training in the form of an apprenticeship covers all types of bicycles, electric bikes, trailers, wheelchairs and scooters.

Several specific training courses are also offered in the field of large motorised machines, buses and utility, industrial, wine and agricultural vehicles.

A very particular training offer is that of mechatronics in refrigeration and air conditioning technology. Whether it is for the assembly, maintenance or ordering of any type of refrigeration device, this training programme prepares people for a wide variety of professions, for example the refrigeration of medicines at very low temperatures or climatic installations in public transport.

The “Smart Buildings and Energies” division trains technicians who will be able to promote the use of renewable energies, work on the rationalisation of existing installations and ensure compliance with energy performance regulations.

The promotional video for this campaign can be viewed below. Further details on available training courses are available on the website of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth: thefutureissmart.men.lu.