180 trainers from 29 towns and cities, two days, one goal: how can vocational training in the skilled trades keep pace with the times? The participants at the trainers’ conference ‘Holistic Training in the Skilled Trades’, held at the Münster Chamber of Skilled Trades’ training centre, sought answers to this question – and found them through workshops, discussions and a lively marketplace of ideas.
The agenda covered modern teaching methods, managing diverse learning groups, communication in day-to-day training, and insights into digitalisation and artificial intelligence. At the ‘Marketplace of Digital Opportunities’, participants were able to experience first-hand what digital tools are capable of today: from augmented reality and robotics to AI-powered assistance systems.
DAISEC demonstrates how AI is being put into practice in education
DAISEC was represented with the session ‘Using AI in Education and Training’ and brought along a prototype developed in a real-world setting: the chatbot Chatbot „LACKI“created for the BBS 3 vocational school in Burgdorf for use in the vehicle painting department. Thirty people attended the two workshops.
LACKI answers questions about vehicle painting based on real-world teaching content, demonstrating how AI systems can be used responsibly in vocational training. The technical infrastructure has been deliberately designed with security in mind: the components run locally, queries are security-checked, and relevant specialist content is reliably retrieved using a technique known as Retrieval Augmented Generation.
Technology alone is not enough – it’s all about teamwork
The discussions in the workshops made one thing clear: the added value of AI does not stem from the technology alone. What matters is the interplay between learners, trainers, content, processes and digital tools. AI does not replace trainers, but it can specifically ease their workload and open up new ways of learning.
There are many concrete possibilities: subject-specific chatbots, multilingual learning support, automatically generated exercises and skills tests, or smart tools for managing one’s own learning materials. The conference in Münster demonstrated that the skilled trades sector is ready to explore these possibilities – and DAISEC is supporting them on this journey.
