The Lustenau tiler Timo-Nils Theisl takes part in the EuroSkills in the Polish city of Gdansk.
Lustenau It won’t be long before the EuroSkills, the European championships for trades, will be held in Poland. Timo-Nils Theisl, from Lustenau, represents Austria in the “Tile Layers” category and has set himself ambitious goals: “I want to win the EuroSkills in September. I prepare myself intensively for this with my practice pieces,” he says. His employer, Michael Felder from Fliesen Felder, is proud of his former apprentice and his current skilled worker. He supports him wherever he can. “Through his participation in EuroSkills, Timo makes our profession attractive for future apprentices,” he says. “I am very proud of him.”
Perfection at its finest
“As a tiler, you have to be a perfectionist, because our craft is clearly visible to the customer. Everything just has to fit,” explains 23-year-old Timo-Nils Theisl confidently. Last year he took part in the AustrianSkills and took second place in Austria. First place qualifies for WorldSkills, second place for EuroSkills. “For me, this is a unique opportunity to show what I can do. I want to bring the European Championship title to Lustenau,” he says resolutely.
Training workshop in the dô
Preparation is everything, he knows. And so that he is well prepared for the competition, he practices between 300 and 500 hours on the practice models, which he receives from his EuroSkills supervisor Andreas Stiegler from Styria. So that Timo can work undisturbed, the market town of Lustenau has given him a place for his workshop in the “dô” on Dornbirner Straße. “I have my own workshop where I can study the plans, make a schedule, cut and lay tiles. I can fully concentrate here,” he says.
When Timo Theisl talks about his job and explains what he does, you can see the enthusiasm for this craft. “In our job, if you work extremely precisely, you can also express yourself creatively. That’s what makes it so exciting,” he says. In order to be able to take part in such professional championships as the EuroSkills, in addition to professional qualifications, you also have to have a large portion of stamina. “The preparations are very time-consuming, but if you enjoy doing something, anything is possible,” he says. In addition to the professional performance, the participants also have to keep their nerves, because the time pressure and working in front of numerous spectators is a challenge again. “I am technically and mentally very well prepared and am looking forward to showing my skills at the European Championships in September.” All his friends, relatives and his employer are keeping their fingers crossed for the upcoming competition in Poland. bv
– 48 participants from Austria are taking part from various professional sectors
– A total of around 600 qualified specialists under the age of 25 compete in the EuroSkills
– September 5-9, 2023 in Danzing/Poland
