Building site of the future: DEPENBROCK's experience day for budding construction professionals

On Thursday, April 25, a bus arrives at the DEPENBROCK site in Hatten shortly before nine o’clock in the morning. Around 10 children get out of it, others come out of cars sporadically parked in the parking lot. Finally, 26 children gather in front of the entrance to the branch, waiting to start the day. When so many children come to visit, it can only mean one thing: It’s Future Day at DEPENBROCK. The children, who attend grades six to eight at the surrounding schools, have already registered for the day in advance. DEPENBROCK organized a day in Hatten and Stemwede as part of Girls’ and Boys’ Day 2024, both packed with activities.

The day begins for the children with a breakfast together to give them a good start to the day ahead. At the same time, they gain an insight into the DEPENBROCK company and are provided with some information. What does a construction company actually do? What apprenticeships are there? And what requirements do I need to meet?

Equipped with safety vests, the children then set off: nine stations lie ahead of them, where they will learn a lot about the different professions and the construction industry in general and can try their hand at one or two things.

A station is set up in a basement room of the branch, where the various facts about the training occupations are presented. The children sort cards for the professions and thus learn which areas of application or tasks a specialist foundation engineer, an agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics technician or a construction equipment operator, for example, have and what kind of machine is actually essential for road construction.

Then it gets practical outside. The children can use the cable excavator to shake down sheet piling and get a taste of what a specialist foundation engineer actually does. They stand at the gear stick and have control over exactly what happens.

Now it’s getting hot: At this station, the children can learn how to weld – and at the end they can even take home a DEPENBROCK excavator they have made themselves. The first step is to put on protective clothing and then, together with our construction mechanic, we get to work on the welding equipment. The sparks fly, the children look on in fascination and at the end they can see how two different parts have become a complete excavator.

Now it’s time for a change of location: In the workshop, the children are first given a short theoretical unit. What is a motor and what does it do? How is it structured? What’s the tube doing sticking out here? And how do you repair the whole thing? The children watch and listen intently as they are given all the answers to their questions.

Before the lunch break, practical work is also allowed. Together with our concrete builder, the children pour cube-shaped pencil holders with the DEPENBROCK logo. They can discover concrete casting by familiarizing themselves with the properties of the material and seeing what happens when the liquid concrete is poured into the mould.

Now it’s time to take a breather. We eat, drink and discuss – which is the best station so far? What impressed you the most? And what was perhaps also difficult? Well fortified by the pizzas they ate together and highly motivated, the children then set off again for the other stations.

The focus is now on the job description of road builders. The children place paving stones together on the paving trailer and can build their own little road – and even incorporate a creative pattern if they wish.

Next door, people are busy plugging, because they are working on the job of a sewer builder. The children are given drawings of different pipe systems and have the task of rebuilding them with the pipes. This not only demands imagination from the children, but also a lot of skill.

The station, which all the children love, is set up outside in the courtyard. There is a forklift truck and several pallets to be moved. The children can pick up the pallets and then stack them in a different place: whoever is quickest wins.

At the end of the day, the really big machines are used: the children are also allowed to move our crane and reload various materials. With their heads back and noise protection on their ears, they watch what happens to the crane and material when the controls are moved.

In the end, all the children are more than exhausted – a day at the construction company is quite exhausting. What remains: The memory of an eventful future day, good insights into construction work and, of course, a bag full of home-made products. A boy says goodbye with the words: “Bye! See you in a few years when I start my apprenticeship with you!” We at DEPENBROCK are already looking forward to it.