30 young workers’ representatives from 13 countries gathered at the Nell-Breuning-Haus in Herzogenrath (Germany) from 1-5 November 2023 to attend the EZA young workers’ platform conference, organised by the Nell-Breuning-Haus in cooperation with EZA and funded by the European Union. The event was entitled: “Young people in the midst of the transformation of the world of work: uncertainties – conditions – visions”.
The start of the conference focused on introductions and the participants’ expectations of the seminar and the great need for discussions on the topic soon became apparent. Some expectations and needs were, for example, learning about how other countries implement the practice, expanding knowledge, discussions about the future and exchanges about the work of the future. In addition to the expectations in terms of the seminar content, the focus was also on networking and (cultural) exchanges.
The kick-off discussion on the topic of future skills prompted the European members to discuss their views on the topic. The positive and negative aspects of the 4.0 job market were illustrated in a range of creative ways. On the one hand, participants stressed the many opportunities created by new technologies, which can also greatly facilitate their work, while on the other the attendees engaged in lively discussions about the risks involved. The loss of jobs in particular was a major issue. A particularly interesting aspect of this topic was the different impact of new technologies depending on the area of work of the participants. For example, a participant who is a full-time designer faces huge competition from AI, whereas the physiotherapist will be affected to a much lesser extent.
After discussing the theory, the second day was devoted to exploring the practical future.
Participants had the opportunity to learn what future skills are particularly relevant from a university perspective in the makerspace at Aachen University of Applied Sciences and at the ALeRT and Carologostics robot projects at the MASCOR Institute. Firstly, the makerspace demonstrated what (notably creative) skills will be crucial for the working world in the future. The participants were able to test this in practice and used a CAD/CAM program to do a total redesign of a bottle opener and then printed it in 3D. Learning about technology in a fun way was always accompanied by critical discussions on the process. The group also met several robots during their visit. The famous "robot dog" from Boston Dynamics caused particular excitement. After the initial astonishment, fascination and many souvenir photos, the participants discussed at length the opportunities and difficulties that such robots will bring in the future. Nor did the participants ignore critical questions, for example regarding the military use of this robot. The last stop at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences was particularly interesting from a trade union perspective. During the visit to Carologistics, the participants were shown how a factory of the future could operate. The movement of goods within a factory may soon no longer require human labour, which could lead to major problems, notably for low-skilled workers in the world of work 4.0. The discussions with the students and employees at the Aachen University of Applied Sciences who are involved in these projects and are also highly dedicated at a technical level, proved to be extremely interesting. The exchanges regarding the social impact were particularly enlightening and it became clear that this is also of considerable importance to them.
Following all the insights gained and discussions on the future of work, the last day was devoted to discussions on how the participants could take action. They now focused on their own organisations. What will my organisation need in the future? How can I implement this? What form could demands take, that would also have a European basis, to maintain the focus on decent work for all in future human-machine interactions?
The participants turned to the Bernd Rohrbach 635 creative method for this, where participants used brainstorming to develop practical options for action for their organisations. In the closing thoughts at the end of the seminar, the participants were able to look to the future with a new and refreshing motivation after their visit to Herzogenrath, and the attendees made numerous contacts for further work.
Looking back at the programme of events, we're sure that the exchange of experiences, suggestions, insights and ideas will have a positive impact on the (youth) work of this year's participants. We are already looking forward to next year's conference.