"Buntes Handwerk": Diversity Opens New Perspectives

The skilled trades are facing major challenges: skills shortages, the recruitment of young talent, and questions of corporate culture are moving increasingly into focus. Future viability is no longer decided by technology and processes alone, but also by who is able to access the skilled trades. Trade fairs such as HOLZ HANDWERK take up these issues and make visible the social developments that are increasingly shaping the sector.

Written by Johanna Köhler

Two people stand in front of a colorful rally with a truck and banners.

The HOLZ HANDWERK Arena 2026 provided space for key future topics facing the skilled trades – from new working realities and workforce recruitment to the conditions under which businesses are run today. One of the impulses deliberately shifted the focus to diversity and structural access issues. In her talk “Thinking in and outside boxes”, Maren Kogge, founder of the non profit association Buntes Handwerk e.V., explained why diversity is a relevant factor for the future viability of the skilled trades.

The road to founding “Buntes Handwerk”

The creation of Buntes Handwerk was rooted in personal experience. As a church painter and business owner, Maren Kogge had built an open and appreciative company culture over many years. However, she soon realized that lived diversity does not stop at the door of one’s own workshop. “I can create a safe space within my own company – but I cannot protect my employees from what happens outside on construction sites,” she explains. People with a migration background, trans people, or non binary individuals in particular often face discrimination in everyday working life.

A defining moment for Kogge was a phone call during her candidacy for Miss Handwerk. Her campaign promise was clear: if elected, she would found the association Buntes Handwerk. Instead of encouragement, she received a warning – it would be better to “only talk about women; diversity and inclusion leave a bad taste.” “For me, that was the turning point,” says Kogge. “That was the moment I realized: now more than ever. This is about much more than me or my career.”

After being elected Miss Handwerk, she fulfilled her promise in 2023. What began as an initiative became a non profit association, now supported by many members from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The founding of Buntes Handwerk shows how personal experience can lead to structural change.

Barriers that often remain invisible

The inquiries received by the association highlight the extent of the problem. Every day, people contact Buntes Handwerk who want to work in the skilled trades but are unable to gain access. “At the moment, we receive around 25 emails a day from people who are denied access to the skilled trades – because of their first name, last name, because they are women, or because they are trans or non binary,” says Kogge.

Some cases make structural prejudice particularly visible: a trans carpenter applied for more than 60 apprenticeships across Germany using their former, female first name – without success. After changing their name, the same resume, now with a male first name, led to apprenticeship offers within a very short period of time. “Please don’t tell me we’ve already achieved equality,” says Kogge.

Traditional assumptions also persist when it comes to women. Missing sanitary facilities, supposed physical limitations or health related stereotypes are still used as arguments. For Kogge, these are not isolated cases, but expressions of deeply rooted prejudices – often unconscious, sometimes openly expressed.

A person is holding up two posters that read “Skilled trades are diverse” and “All hands on deck for skilled trades.” — Diversity in the skilled trades means acknowledging different lived realities.

Diversity starts in the business – and in everyday work

At the same time, Buntes Handwerk observes positive developments. More and more businesses are recognizing corporate culture as a decisive factor for employee retention and motivation. “In surveys, pay often only ranks sixth,” Kogge explains. “At the top are workplace climate, leadership, and a sense of belonging.”

Change does not have to be complex. Low threshold measures such as internship days, visible role models within teams, clear codes of conduct, or regular conversations can send strong signals. What matters most is that people feel seen – and remain in the skilled trades in the long term.

The figures are alarming: more than half of apprentices leave the skilled trades between their first and third year of training, and another third leaves immediately after completing their apprenticeship. “For me, that’s a clear sign,” says Kogge. “We don’t have a problem of enthusiasm – we have a culture problem.”

The seven dimensions of diversity

Against this backdrop, it becomes clear why Maren Kogge’s talk goes beyond personal experiences and addresses structural contexts. At the center of her presentation in the HOLZ HANDWERK Arena were the seven dimensions of diversity, which are also symbolized by the seven colored rainbow in the association’s logo. These include age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, religion, disability, and social background. “It’s not about playing diversity bingo and ticking boxes,” says Kogge. “It’s about recognizing that different perspectives are real strengths.”

Inclusion of people with disabilities is one often underestimated example. Most disabilities occur over the course of a person’s life – including in the skilled trades. Yet participation is still frequently limited to sheltered workshops. Numerous practical examples show that adapted thinking and flexible solutions can make workplaces accessible: through modified workbenches, new task allocation, or technical aids.

A group of six people stands in front of a backdrop, holding up signs featuring various trades and a rainbow. — Diversity in the skilled trades becomes visible where different perspectives in diverse professions are represented equally.

Diversity as a key to the future

Concrete examples also demonstrate the economic relevance of diversity. Hanebutt, a funding member of Buntes Handwerk and Germany’s second largest roofing company, employs people from 24 nations. According to Kogge, the managing director sums it up clearly: diversity is his key to success.

For Maren Kogge, the conclusion is clear: “The skilled trades will only remain viable if diversity becomes a matter of course.” This requires businesses willing to listen, rethink established practices, and take responsibility. Trade fairs such as HOLZ HANDWERK provide the appropriate stage for this – as places of dialogue, visibility, and perspective change.

Because the future takes shape where people are given opportunities – regardless of how they look, whom they love, or what name they carry.

Three people are standing in front of a vehicle with logos and holding up a banner that reads “Bunbtes Handwerk.” — Through Buntes Handwerk, Maren Kogge provides impulses for a more inclusive and future oriented skilled trades culture.

Author

Johanna Köhler

Online Editing // PR Trainee