Careers@Steel – Career models and professional development pathways to secure and develop skilled workers in the steel industry

Background and Problem

The background to the project is the change in qualification structures in steel industry companies and foundries, driven primarily by decarbonisation, digitalisation and demographic change. The sector is undergoing a particularly profound process of technological transformation owing to the need for a fundamental change in production. The shift towards CO2-neutral steel production – so-called green steel – entails the use of new technologies and of other energy resources, and thus a comprehensive change in work and production processes.

In this context, the further development of occupational pathway and career models for employees is of particular relevance, and this is where Karrieren@Stahl comes in. The development of the new advanced training level of Professional Specialist (DQR level 5) and of Bachelor Professional and Master Professional at advanced training levels 2 and 3 (DQR levels 6 and 7) for the steel sector offers potential for developing qualification structures and career models further in social partnership. The overarching target group comprises all skilled workers and managers in the steel industry, who should be offered new development prospects in the course of the transformation in order to meet the sector's future, changed skilled labour needs. Other people, in particular those interested in vocational training and career changers, also belong to the target group, with a view to increasing the sector's attractiveness and creating permeability.

The steel industry's workforce is currently predominantly male, with a high proportion of older workers, semi-skilled workers and migrants. The needs and perspectives of these target groups must be given particular consideration in designing professional development pathways and advanced training courses. The same applies to the target group of women, in order to tap additional skilled labour potential.

The partner and reference companies are ArcelorMittal Bremen, Georgsmarienhütte GmbH and Salzgitter Flachstahl AG, together with their affiliated medium-sized companies Pleissner Guss GmbH and Harz Guss Zorge GmbH. These companies have nominated in-company experts (skilled workers, HR managers and members of so-called ‘Decarb’ teams) who work with the project team at regular intervals. The interest in supporting Karrieren@Stahl expressed within the sector even before the project started is of particular significance and demonstrates the relevance of the project.

Research questions

• What needs exist in the steel industry and in foundries with regard to new career models, including in order to increase the sector's attractiveness?

• Which advanced training content do employees identify with regard to automation, digitalisation and transformation?

• What roles can Professional Specialists (DQR level 5), Bachelor Professionals (DQR level 6) and Master Professionals (DQR level 7) fulfil within companies? Where does the added value lie for participants in such advanced training, and where does it lie for the companies?

Approach

The Karrieren@Stahl team used three approaches to identify the needs of the occupational fields of action and activity:

1. Current scientific publications on prospects for technological transformation and ‘Future Skills’;

2. A survey of existing induction and technical specialisation pathways in the reference companies by means of expert interviews;

3. A comparison of the team's own findings with the four Professional Specialist profiles in the metal and electrical industry (metal technology, electrical engineering, mechatronics and process technology). These profiles are currently being developed or coordinated at national level.

In a first step, expert workshops were used to work out the work content and activities for the ‘Professional Specialist Steel’. Building on this, a curricular framework and teaching-learning concepts are being developed that also include in-company learning phases. The advanced training courses will be piloted and evaluated in the reference companies to ensure that they can be implemented in practice.

Results

Initial results point to a need for different areas of specialisation in Professional Specialist profiles. On the one hand, steelmaking and steel processing are areas in which Professional Specialists can be deployed following training as a skilled worker. In addition, maintenance occupations (metal and electrical occupations) are relevant in the steel sector. Here, a comparison is being made to establish the extent to which the Professional Specialist profiles from the metal and electrical sector cover these needs or whether separate steel maintenance occupational profiles are required. A possible modular structure is also being examined; in that case there would be, for example, a ‘Professional Specialist Steel’ profile with several options or specialisations, e.g. steelmaking, processing, servicing and maintenance. The advanced training courses developed (Professional Specialist Steel and Bachelor or Master Professional under Section 53 BBiG) will be piloted and, following approval in the national sector dialogue, institutionalised within the framework of national advanced training regulations (certification at chamber level).

Dissemination and Transfer Activities

Activities carried out or planned include:

• Steel sector dialogue with the social partners

• Scientific presentation at the BWP section conference 2025, Darmstadt

• Scientific presentation at the Stockholm International Conference 2026

• Scientific presentation at the European Conference on Educational Research 2026 (planned)

• Transfer strategy for disseminating the project results (at the end of the project)