Plant mechanic Lukas Heyn - in the running for gold

Lukas Heyn, a plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems from Hartenstein in the Ore Mountains, is one of Germany's main gold medal hopes at this year's WorldSkills Competition to be hosted in Abu Dhabi in October. 21-year-old Lukas is certainly not lacking in confidence. "I want to be a world champion," he says. And, after emerging victorious at an international competition held in China in June, he is among the favourites.

Lukas spends regular preparation sessions with his trainer André Schnabel at the Federal Centre of Excellence in Schweinfurt. "The demands made of me are very high, but that's OK," he coolly states. "The WorldSkills Competition is a massive event. I would never have thought that my occupation would give me the chance to see so much of the world and meet so many people." Lukas gave us an interview, in which he told us how he is gearing up for the event and what fascinates him about his chosen profession.

DHZ: Mr. Heyn, the word is that you are one of the favourites. Do you see yourself this way too?

Lukas Heyn: Expectations are high after my fellow plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems Nathanael Liebergeld picked up a gold medal two years ago. Of course, everyone wants to see this success repeated. But my trainer has made sure that I stay relatively calm and relaxed. At the beginning of June, I was invited to take part in a competition in China. We were able to show what was possible, even when pressures are high. The plan was actually to treat my participation as a normal element of training under competitive conditions. But when I actually arrived and was put on the spot, I began to get the winning bug.

DHZ: Do you also get to know your rivals for Abu Dhabi when you attend these preparatory international events?

Heyn: Yes, exactly. Seven different nations were represented in China. There were a total of eleven participants, five of whom were from China itself. These candidates will also be competing in Abu Dhabi, so I'm already familiar with some of the rivals I will come up against. At an international training session held at the Federal Centre of Excellence for our occupation in Schweinfurt, I also got the opportunity to meet the participants from Switzerland, Austria, Mongolia, the United Kingdom, and Italy. There was someone from Taiwan too. I find this a very good way of preparing for the competition.

DHZ: Do you already know what kind of competition task you will face?

Heyn: There is always an individual test project which is announced some time before the event. The competition in China also gave us a very good idea of the sort of assignments we will face. The topics will be broadly similar to those tackled by Nathanael Liebergeld in Brazil - solar energy with storage systems, sewage, gas and heating installations with bathroom radiators that we will need to bend ourselves and hot and cold water installation together with circulation. In other words, all the usual tasks that we perform in our occupation.

DHZ: You are a plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems and are currently also training to qualify as a master craftsman?

Heyn: I have started the process and have finished parts II and IV. I am taking a break so that I can take part in the WorldSkills Competition, and then I will continue and complete my master craftsman training.

DHZ: What do you find so fascinating about your occupation?

Heyn: My father and uncle run a small company in Hartenstein with five employees. But this wasn't the reason why I decided to enter training in this occupation. I did a lot of practical placements and had a look at many different things. I finally opted for the occupation of plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems because it is a world in which I feel very much at home. It is a multi-faceted occupation with a diverse range of work tasks. Every day is different, and I really enjoy constantly dealing with new customers.

DHZ: Why should young people decide to enter training in the craft trades occupation of plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems?

Heyn: It is a job that offers a lot of variety. You are always learning plenty of new things and activities, and new developments are happening all the time. Dealing with all of this is very interesting. And it is simply a cool job to have.

DHZ: How have you been preparing for the WorldSkills Competition?

Heyn: I qualified in January and won a final eliminator at the Central Germany Craft Trades Fair in Leipzig in mid-February. Since then, I have known that I would be part of the German team at the 2017 WorldSkills in Abu Dhabi. I have been practising with my trainer André Schnabel at the Federal Centre of Excellence for plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems in Schweinfurt. We do a one-week training session about every three weeks. Of course, I also practise at my parents' company when I am at home in Hartenstein. In fact, it seems that all I do is train. At the moment, you would be very unlikely to see me at a customer's company or on a construction site.

DHZ: And what about the world champion Nathanael Liebergeld? Does he give you advice or train with you?

Heyn: I didn't know him before the first time we met at the German Championships. He encouraged me to apply for the WorldSkills. We spoke a lot about his experiences, and he was able to give me a number of tips. It is very handy that he only lives ten kilometres away.

DHZ: Who are your major rivals?

Heyn: The Chinese, Swiss, Austrians and British are all good. My trainer says that there are always about ten countries which are capable of achieving first place. Plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems from 30 nations will be participating in Abu Dhabi.

DHZ: When does the competition start and how long does it last?

Heyn: The national team will be meeting up in the Taunus on 8 October, and we will be flying to Abu Dhabi on the eleventh. The experts and technical delegates will arrive one day earlier. The competition then takes place over a period of four days.