We are particularly concerned about the question of qualified young staff. After almost two years of online studies without personal contacts, we have not yet succeeded in convincing students of the advantages of a classroom lecture. Currently, the audience numbers are still far below the pre-Corona participants. Also, in times of steadily declining student numbers, it is becoming more and more challenging to attract interested people to work on Master's, seminar and Bachelor's theses.

In Herrsching, we have now put together creative ideas in many lively discussions in order to secure the next generation in all areas. The suggestions ranged from evolutions in the existing lecture programme to revolutions in student acquisition to more non-university partnerships.  We will hopefully be able to evaluate next year whether we have found one or more answers to the crucial question: How do we attract students to metal forming and casting?

Tuesday was then all about scientific research, here the doctoral students of the Fraunhofer IGCV supervised by Prof. Volk also joined in. In four poster sessions, everyone could inform themselves about the current projects and exchange ideas.

Especially for our younger colleagues, the traditional PhD student seminar offers the opportunity to get to know the entire utg family in a sociable and relaxed atmosphere.

Many thanks to the competent preparation team: Katja Holzer, Julika Hoyer, and Lukas Martinitz