KNAPP Apprentices Shine at AustrianSkills 2025

Austria’s top young professionals met to compete in over 50 disciplines at AustrianSkills 2025, the national technical and vocational skills competition. Participants competed for a spot on the podium and the chance to represent Austria at WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai. AustrianSkills is the most important national platform for promoting vocational excellence and developing a skilled workforce. This year’s competition took place in Salzburg. The outstanding team representing the KNAPP AG took home multiple medals.

Two gold, one silver

KNAPP’s apprentices made an impressive showing at AustrianSkills 2025, where they put their expert skills to the test. Of special note are Burim Shala and Quentin Tyr Wagner (both Application Developer Apprentices), who won first place in the Autonomous Mobile Robotics category. In Robot System Integration, Gabriel Aldrian of KNAPP and Kristijan Hrdzic of Magna also took home the gold. The winning teams not only demonstrated their technical skills, but also their team spirit and innovative thinking – skills that are crucial for success in today’s intralogistics environment.

Here are all of KNAPP’s medalists at a glance:

• 1st place – Autonomous Mobile Robotics: Burim Shala and Quentin Tyr Wagner took home the gold in this pioneering discipline.
• 2nd place – Autonomous Mobile Robotics: Konstantin Hauser and Marwin Andreas Kremser won silver.
• 1st place – Robot System Integration: Mechatronics apprentices Gabriel Aldrian (KNAPP) and Kristijan Hrdzic (Magna) worked as a team to beat the field in this stiff competition.
• Successful participation in the Mechanical Engineering (Industrial Mechanics) category. With skill and precision, KNAPP apprentices made a very good showing in this category, too.

AustrianSkills: International standards and a medley of careers

AustrianSkills is more than just a competition. It reflects the wide range of today’s trades and technical careers, from industrial mechanics and electrical installation to digital construction and robot systems integration. The tasks were based on the high occupational standards of the international skills competitions. Along with technical know-how, they required teamwork, problem-solving skills and innovation. Visitors to the competition were invited to try their hand at different try-a-skill stations, where they could test out different occupations for themselves. This hands-on experience provided an important opportunity for young people to get to know different trades – and to inspire the professionals of tomorrow.

Promoting vocational training and a skilled workforce at KNAPP

The apprentices’ successes reflect the quality of their training at KNAPP. The Styrian technology company has been heavily invested in their apprenticeship program for years, with a focus on practical skills, workshops with state-of-the-art equipment and projects that prepare apprentices for the challenges of industry. Vocational competitions such as AustrianSkills play an important role in getting young people interested in careers in tech and in showcasing the skills of young professionals.

“We’re very proud of our apprentices’ achievements. Having multiple gold medalists proves the success of our strategy of building problem-solving skills and teamwork along with technical knowledge. AustrianSkills is our gauge of how well we’re preparing young people for careers in industry – and our apprentices have done very well,” says Christoph Haidic, Head of Apprentice Training at KNAPP, on the apprentices’ performance.

About KNAPP

KNAPP is the technology partner for intelligent value chains. Headquartered in Austria, the KNAPP group provides all-in-one solutions for automation and digitalization, from production and distribution to the point of sale. Excellent service and long-term collaboration make KNAPP the strong partner behind the success of their customers in the healthcare, retail, food retail, fashion, wholesale and industry sectors.