A carpentry workshop in Dobbrikow, Germany.
Photographer: Ksenia Ivanova/Bloomberg
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The model no longer seems to work for trainees or their employers.
The main street of Dobbrikow is silent at 7 a.m., save for the roar of a grinding machine. In the courtyard of the village’s carpentry, a 17-year-old lugs a vintage door to the workbench, preparing for it to be repainted and varnished.
For Jannes, it was always clear that he wanted to learn a skilled trade. “I can’t work in an office. I’m too impatient for that,” he said, dusting off his trousers. And crafting with his hands came naturally to him.