On March 13th and 14th, 2025, the well -expected federal apprenticeship competition of the pavement took place in the Langenlois gardening school. The competition offered twelve highly qualified apprentices from all over Austria the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and to measure themselves against other talents in the industry. Organized by the professional group of paving in the Austria Chamber of Commerce, competition is one of the most important events in paving craft and is an important milestone on the way to the apprenticeship exam.
The federal apprentice competition is not only a valuable platform for recognizing outstanding services, but also an important step in the professional development of young people as well as an important event that underlines the quality of the training and the innovation spirit of the industry. Robert Sam, federal vocational spokesman for the pavement, and Richard Michels, working group leader, emphasized in their speeches the importance of practice -oriented training in the vocational school as well as the excellent quality of work in the Austrian paving companies.
“The competition shows how well the youngsters are trained in the pavement trade. We are proud of the high professionalism and the passion with which the young pavingers master their tasks. This is a strong signal for the future of the craft,” says Sam.
The outstanding services of the participants were first evaluated by a specialist jury according to the sophisticated evaluation system of Austrian Skills, because in autumn 2025 the paves will take part in the Austrian State Championship for professions, the Austrian Skills, in Salzburg. During the three competitions, the best domestic young people will compete against each other in teams of two.
The challenge of the 2025 Federal Apprenticeship competition consisted of a project with various demanding tasks in which the apprentices had to demonstrate their technical knowledge, precision and creativity. The tasks included the catching of a 3 x 4 meter area with small paving stones, the moving of a dry wall and laying granite stone pavement in the segment arch. In addition, natural stone slabs in the lanes and concrete stone pavement were to be laid in two variants. With the remaining time, the participants were able to prove their skills in the design of polygonal panels, a church window or a passée association.
The winners of this year’s competition are:
- 1st place: Dominik Kaufmann, Strabag AG, Graz
- 2nd place: Florian Huemer, Strabag AG, Linz
- 3rd place: Augustin-Sebastian-Mihai Ilea, Mallitsch Bau- und Paplastresellschaft mbH, Bludenz
Other participants were:
Fabian Hager, garden workshop Martin, Herzogenburg
Thomas Kogler, Steinstark GmbH, Vienna
Marcel Reisenberger, Reisenberger paving, Zell am Pettenfirst
Meriton Rekaliu, Teichbau GmbH, Oberschlierbach
Michael Ringhofer, Strabag Ag, St. Martin
You canll, HEPR Consult Gmbh, Wien.
Tobias Scheibner, Held & Francke Baugesellschaft mbH, Vienna
Vincent Wally, Gärtnerei Galanthus, South Tyrol and Pernersdorfer tree nursery, Gföhl
Dominik Marco Warschitz, Strabag AG, Vienna