Dear readers,
welcome to the latest edition of the STFI Newsletter.
Highly qualified skilled workers are the backbone of every company. However, the German labour market is in the middle of a profound transformation. Experienced specialists are retiring and there is a shortage of young talent everywhere. Career changers can be part of the solution, but they need qualifications and further training. These developments also affect the textile industry. The STFI Akademie qualifies textile specialists and brings industry representatives together once a year for an open dialogue at the Akademie breakfast. We are convinced that the transformation can only be achieved by working together and vocational training is a key to future corporate success.
Your STFI
Skilled workers
– Qualification and further training for the company's success –
What are the general trends in the labour market when it comes to training? Read this guest article from the Chemnitz Employment Agency to find out why training is an important tool for future success from the perspective of both employers and employees, and what funding opportunities are available.
Securing skilled labour in Chemnitz: further training as the key to the future
The situation in the Chemnitz labour market is challenging for many companies. In 2024, an annual average of 11,237 women and men in the city were without a job, while the average number of vacancies was 2,363. Forecasts indicate that even fewer vacancies will be available in the future and that the number of unemployed people is expected to increase by around 5.4 %. While some sectors are affected by economic uncertainty, the demand for qualified specialists remains unbroken. Digitalisation, structural change and new technologies are rapidly changing job profiles. Companies need to adapt to this – and many are already doing so by investing specifically in their employees' qualifications and futher training.
Why further training is particularly important
The number of people able to work is decreasing, while many skilled workers will retire in the coming years. It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to find new employees with the right qualifications. Thus, the issue on qualifications and improving the know-how of employees becomes even more important. Not only does it strengthen competitiveness, but also offers prospects for employees. In the end, further training significantly improves the chances of finding a job in the labour market. In January 2025, almost 880 people took advantage of vocational training programmes. By training their employees, companies can compensate for shortages of skilled labour and meet the increasing demands on professions. Ongoing acquisition of knowledge and skills has become indispensable, especially in technology industries.
New funding opportunities improve people's access to the labour market
The employment agency in Chemnitz actively supports companies and employees with further training. Since 1 April 2024, there has been the qualification allowance, which offers financial security during longer qualification phases. In addition, the funding conditions for vocational training during employment have been improved: depending on the size of the company, between 25 % and 100 % of the course costs and lost wages can be covered
Further training to secure the future
Securing skilled labour remains a key task for Chemnitz and the region. Companies that invest in the qualifications of their employees today ensure well-trained teams in the long term – and thus their own future. The Chemnitz Employment Agency has a personal contact person ready to provide advice to support companies and employees in the best possible way.
Further information from the Federal Employment Agency: https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/en
Vocational qualification certified and subsidised
On the one hand, the shortage of skilled labour is challenging our society and the textile industry, like other industries, must take appropriate measures to maintain its performance. On the other hand, the demands on skilled workers are changing/increasing due to the digitalisation of production. The professional qualification of skilled workers offers a real opportunity. Gaining in-depth specialist knowledge increases employees' motivation and they can be deployed for more demanding tasks. The benefit is for both employers and employees.
Since 2022, the STFI has been offering courses in various modules for professional qualification or further training. In 2025, the STFI Akademie is expanding its programme adding a further qualification option. With the successful AZAV certification, a comprehensive portfolio of training measures is now available that employers and employees in the textile industry can draw on to improve their professional qualifications.
Highly qualified scientific and technical trainers from STFI convey their expertise. The course “Textile Basics and Manufacturing Techniques”, for example, provides a solid overview of the textile manufacturing process – from yarn to surface and finishing to testing – in eight weeks, two days a week. STFI's technical centres offer practical insights. The programme is therefore aimed at workers from outside the industry who do not have sufficient specialist textile knowledge. Four special programmes provide in-depth knowledge of weaving, knitting, flat knitting, yarn and nonwoven production. The partial qualification as a machine and plant operator (m/f/d) takes 16 weeks with 2 training days per week and leads to a competence assessment with an on-the-job certificate. This qualification can also be completed in modules, depending on individual requirements.
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How can sustainability be integrated into vocational training?
The textile industry in Germany is facing two major challenges: the shortage of skilled workers and the demand for sustainability. The BMBF funding programme “Nachhaltig im Beruf” (NIB), which aims to integrate sustainability into vocational education and training, combines both issues. Sustainability in vocational education and training creates future-proof companies with a responsible team. The skills acquired are universally applicable and have an impact on other areas. The NIBTEX project focuses specifically on the target group of trainers in the textile industry.
From the very beginning, training staff have been able to contribute their needs and experiences to the project. This includes representatives from companies as well as lecturers from the STFI Akademie – the project is supported by a dedicated group of contributors. A kick-off event to get to know each other in the summer was followed by a survey in the autumn to analyse the initial situation in the companies and an expert workshop in the winter to identify the skills needed in relation to sustainability in everyday business practice.
Based on this, a train-the-trainer format, including materials, will be developed that is practice-oriented and strengthens the role of trainers as multipliers. STFI is working with two strong academic partners on the project. The Chair of Adult Education and Continuing Education at the Chemnitz University of Technology ensures the high didactic quality and appealing design of all formats. The Chair of Business Administration – Corporate Environmental Economics and Sustainability at Chemnitz University of Technology is working in particular on sector-specific aspects of vocational training for sustainable development.
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Akademie
18 - 19 March 2025
Seminar Nonwovens
15 - 16 April 2025
Seminar Personal Protective Equipment
Conferences
11 - 12 March 2025
17th Symposium TEXTILE FILTER
3 April 2025
Akademie breakfast
Fairs
4 - 6 March 2025
JEC World in Paris
11 - 14 March 2025
Intec in Leipzig
Europe
BIONANOPOLYS – Project completed after 4 years of successful collaboration
Biobased materials are potential alternatives to fossil-based raw materials. To be used in technical applications, they must have functional properties that can be achieved, for example, with the help of nanoparticles. Adding these properties to biomaterials was the focus of the EU project BIONANOPOLYS. Over the past four years, 27 partners from 12 countries have developed new materials as well as improved technologies and processes for their production and application. Thus, existing pilot plants across Europe were optimised in an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB). STFI participated with a meltblown nonwovens line and a fibre nonwovens line.
In one application, STFI with Spanish partners AITEX, ITENE and TEXTISOL developed antimicrobial cleaning cloths made of viscose and PLA, carried out extensive tests on the nonwoven fibre system and tested the physical textile properties of the developed nonwovens. At the same time, in collaboration with AITEX and the Spanish SME ENCAPSULAE, the focus was on the development of a biodegradable filter material for protective masks with an integrated innovative additive to improve electrostatic separation performance. A Single Entry Point (SEP) will provide access to the pilot plants throughout Europe, together with additional services, even after the end of the project.
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Digitalisation
Assistance system for transparency in the production process
The trend in the textile industry towards customised products in small batch sizes requires precise management and production expertise, based on a secure, stable and transparent production chain. This is where tracking and tracing systems come into play. These provide precise information on the location and components of the semi-finished products/products in the process chain. Such tracking and tracing requirements are also faced by small and medium-sized garment manufacturers. What tracking and tracing system is best suited for changeable processes with flexible, order-related staffing of machines for both modern machines and existing machines? Is it cost-effective and open to integration?
In recent years, STFI has developed an adaptive tracking and tracing assistance system based on technologies from the fields of Industrial Internet-of-Things, mobile computing, wireless communication and low-code graphical programming, which provides answers to these questions. A system that is primarily based on open source software technologies. The developed solution offers the user a variety of functions for sewing workstations and picking processes in garment manufacturing companies. For example, materials are detected marker-based using camera technology at the sewing workstation and the sewing process itself and associated non-value-adding processes are monitored using a sensor and web application.
A step-by-step display is also used to train the sewer for the set-up processes digitally. The system also assists processes preceding the sewing process, such as picking material carriers. Using a scanning glove and localisation technology, the system provides digital support for retrieval and relocation. The assistance system also offers a high degree of flexibility, as it can be customised by the developers as well as by the users themselves using model-based low-code technology.
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Certification
Three decades of PPE certification
Depending on the application, protective textiles have special requirements and functions. Many people contribute to the provision of these high-tech textile products before they come into use. STFI has been offering certification in the field of protective textiles since 22 December 1994 – reliable for more than 30 years. The first certificate issued by STFI was for chemical protection. At that time, there was no harmonised standard. Since then, several thousand certificates have left STFI, certifying that customers have compliant products for heat, welding, chemical, arc flash and electrostatic protection.
The starting point for the certification of protective textiles at STFI is closely linked to European economic history. The establishment of the EU Single Market on 1 January 1993 enabled the free movement of goods across national borders. The CE mark is therefore a passport for products that meet harmonised safety requirements, including personal protective equipment (PPE). Since 1 July 1995, PPE cannot be sold in Europe without the CE mark. PPE that protects the wearer from specific hazards must undergo an EU type examination by so-called Notified Bodies.
Over the years, an internationally respected and sought-after team has grown from the initial steps to gain customer confidence, advice on the then newly published European standards and a consistent focus on the wishes and needs of customers. STFI offers regular training courses on legislative changes to PPE to give customers confidence in dealing with the content and requirements of protective clothing standards. Today, customers from all over the world rely on the reliability of STFI when it comes to PPE certification.
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Event
Filter industry follows invitation to Chemnitz
The two-day TEXTILE FILTER symposium will take place on 11 and 12 March in Chemnitz, Germany. The conference will focus on innovative, high-performance textile filter media for various applications and systems for air, gas, liquid and particle filtration against the background of changing technology.
In terms of sustainability, minimising air and water pollution, reducing environmental and health impacts and conserving resources are among the ongoing trends in filter media development. These measures go hand in hand with increasing filter life and maximising economic efficiency.
A major trend in filter media development is the use of bio-based materials that can be completely biodegraded at the end of their useful life. The integration of nanotechnology enables the production of filter media with improved efficiency and lower permeability to ultra-fine particles. In addition, innovative developments are leading to self-cleaning filter media that significantly increase filter life and efficiency.
Another important trend for the future is indoor filtration with its increased requirements. In addition to the development of sustainable filter media and special solutions for meltblown filter media, the symposium will focus on the simulation of filtration processes, such as digital twins, and the development of related software tools. Concerning filtration applications, the symposium will look at innovations in and around testing methods, as well as innovations in flue gas cleaning and suitable hollow fibres for dialysis. A special highlight on the agenda is a visit to STFI, where guests will gain an insight into the institute's extensive expertise in nonwovens.
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Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)
Affiliated institute of the University of Technology Chemnitz
Postal Address:
Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)
Postbox 13 25
09072 Chemnitz
Germany
Visitors Address:
Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)
Annaberger Str. 240
09125 Chemnitz
Germany
Phone: +49 371 5274-0
Fax: +49 371 5274-153
Email: stfi@stfi.de
Internet: www.stfi.de
Legal Status: Non-profit Association
Head of Board of Directors: Dipl.-Ing.-Ök. Andreas Berthel
Managing Director: Dr. Heike Illing-Günther
Register-No.: VR 960, Local District Court Chemnitz
VAT No.: DE159710953
Tax-No.: 214/140/0360
Registered Trade Mark: stfi – Sächsisches
Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. registered at European Union
Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) under No. EM 004681573