MINTerMACHER North Upper Palatinate founded: The future of technology is secured!

MINTerMACHER North Upper Palatinate founded: The future of technology is secured!

On December 4, 2025, a new milestone was set for the Northern Upper Palatinate region. At the founding meeting of the MINTerMACHER North Upper Palatinate association, District Administrator Andreas Meier was elected as the first chairman. He is supported by District Administrator Roland Grillmeier, who takes over the deputy chairmanship. Other board members are made up of well-known representatives of the region: Werner Preisser from bfz Weiden as secretary and Johann Zach from the Vereinigte Sparkassen as cashier. The financial audit is carried out by Ramon Gomez-Islinger, teacher at the Lobkowitz-Realschule Neustadt, and Mayor Ernst Schicketanz from Altenstadt/WN. These new structures are an encouraging sign in times in which the need to promote MINT subjects – i.e. mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology – is becoming increasingly important.

The focus of the association is on setting up and expanding MINT workshops in Northern Upper Palatinate in order to increase enthusiasm for technical and scientific careers. The MINT garage in Waldsassen is already a successful example of such offers. Loud kreis-tir.de The demand for extracurricular MINT offerings and school-based groups is high. In this way, the association is responding to the noticeable shortage of skilled workers in MINT-related professions, which is increasingly becoming a serious problem for the region.

Shortage of skilled workers in MINT professions

The situation is serious: according to calculations, there will be a total shortage of 148,500 workers in MINT professions in Germany in October 2025. The bottleneck group of MINT skilled workers is particularly strong with 93,500 missing people, followed by 40,800 MINT experts and 14,200 specialists in technical and master craftsmen's professions, such as mintzukunftschaffen.de communicates. Considering that future needs in areas such as digitalization, climate protection and infrastructure are becoming increasingly clear, it is important not only to recognize the shortage of MINT skilled workers, but also to actively combat it.

Demographic change and declining MINT skills among young people are compounding the problem. Many companies feel compelled to promote MINT immigration through universities in order to close the gaps that have arisen. In 2022, 153,000 international MINT students studied in Germany - a sign that such measures can definitely be fruitful. It is all the more important that, in addition to the existing initiatives, new projects such as MINTerMACHER Nordoberpfalz are actively and actively supported.

Together for the future

The MINTerMACHER North Upper Palatinate have been officially recognized as a MINT region. Particularly noteworthy is the support of the Rainer Markgraf Foundation, which supports two coordination offices for three years. The districts of Neustadt an der Waldnaab and Tirschenreuth also meet their financial obligations and make annual five-figure contributions to MINT funding. The first general meeting is planned for the first quarter of 2026 after the association has been registered. Another step is the fireside evening, which is intended to be used to attract potential sponsors and supporters for the region.

Anyone who would like to get involved in promoting MINT can contact the association. It is up to each individual to awaken and promote enthusiasm for mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. This is the only way the region can overcome its challenges and be optimally prepared for the future. This is the path to not only closing the skills gap, but also shaping a generation of technically skilled and creative minds. The MINTerMACHER Nordoberpfalz initiative definitely has the right feel for this!