- 2 days ago
education inequality Germany, school dropout rates, Bangladesh factories crisis, rare earth recycling Europe, global supply chains, vocational pathways, energy and industry, career reinvention.
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00:09Everything changes.
00:11Different crises around the world force us to rethink how we approach things.
00:15Whether it's in schools, factories or in other careers,
00:18adjustments need to be made.
00:20That pressure is being felt across the globe.
00:24So, what's coming up in the show?
00:26From overwhelmed to bored stiff,
00:29why more and more young people are turning their backs on school.
00:32A new groove.
00:34Rather than becoming a lawyer,
00:36this young woman is starting a carpentry business in Malaysia.
00:40Recycle, don't buy.
00:42German companies look to pull away from China's magnet monopoly.
00:55Are teenagers in Germany falling behind?
00:59I wasn't happy going to school anymore.
01:01I was easily bored at school.
01:03I definitely do not regret dropping out.
01:05For some young people in Germany, school just doesn't work.
01:10Devante, DJ, is one of them.
01:13He struggled to focus and at the time, no one understood why.
01:18Later, he was diagnosed with ADHD.
01:20It was overwhelming and it was underwhelming at the same time.
01:24He didn't really know how to help me.
01:26I was always quiet but I was kind of just treated as somebody who like,
01:31you know, he's lazy.
01:32So, I just decided that it was better to just drop out for me.
01:37DJ's case isn't unique.
01:40Achievement levels in German schools have hit a historic low.
01:44A new UNICEF study shows that more and more young people
01:47are leaving school without basic reading, writing or math skills.
01:52In fact, in Germany, a child's educational success depends heavily
01:56on its family background.
01:58About 90% of children from wealthier families
02:01have basic skills in maths and German.
02:03While among children from less well-off families,
02:07it's less than half.
02:09This is backed up by multiple studies,
02:12showing that children from low-income families in Germany
02:15are less likely to reach basic skills in those subjects.
02:18At the same time, the number of kids leaving school without a diploma is going up.
02:23In the 2024-2025 school year,
02:2664,000 young people left school without a diploma.
02:30That's an increase of over one-third in just three years.
02:34These are usually young people who are either socially disadvantaged
02:37or have individual difficulties.
02:40The reasons range from bullying and academic pressure
02:42to a lack of support at school.
02:44In recent years, mental health issues have also become an important factor.
02:49Coming from a country that has long considered itself a Bildungsnazion,
02:53that is, a nation that highly values education,
02:56this raises some red flags.
02:58The problem with this, if the foundation is not solid enough,
03:02the whole structure may collapse.
03:04Essentially, without training, there is no entry into work.
03:07Without work, there is lost productivity,
03:09leaving both individuals and society to pay the price through higher welfare costs and stalled careers.
03:15But some are trying to catch those that might otherwise fall through the cracks.
03:20In Berlin, this youth training center supports young people who struggle within school.
03:25In small groups, they close learning gaps and prepare for a dual vocational training,
03:30which combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction, even without a diploma.
03:34For many, it's about finding a different way to learn.
03:37That's also where Samet is now.
03:39He wanted to train in IT, but couldn't find a placement.
03:43Now, he's working toward his basic secondary school-leading certificate,
03:46with plans to study in Sweden.
03:48I like the flexibility in here, because you don't have, like, eight different subjects
03:53making you stress about learning this and that.
03:56You only get the essentials that you need to do your certificate,
04:00and it doesn't give you the amount of stress school gives you.
04:04The youth center also offers an apprenticeship in metal construction,
04:08a path that worked for a meal.
04:10If you have an issue sitting still for eight hours a day,
04:13or certain subjects aren't really yours, and you know in the future
04:18you're not really interested in learning them,
04:19I guess that's a little bit of a difference.
04:22I mean, we still do math, obviously, but it's different math.
04:25It's nice to be able to imagine it, because you're actually working with the math,
04:30other than it just being in your head.
04:31And DJ now feels he can reach his full potential.
04:35We can be creative. They give us a lot of creative freedom.
04:39I get to work with my hands when I'm not just sitting at a desk.
04:43A lot of movement going on, so I'm not looking for other ways to get dopamine or something.
04:49I'm learning how to handle responsibility.
04:52DJ is very creative and expresses himself through his work.
04:57Sometimes that's how you find a better way to connect with apprentices.
05:03Ruth made a different decision, leaving her theology studies
05:06for a technical apprenticeship at Berlin's district heating provider,
05:10Belina Energiumverma.
05:12She was looking for better job opportunities.
05:14I wanted to go into the industry,
05:17because I knew that in the industry there's more infrastructure for women,
05:23and then I'm just interested in technical things and in metal work.
05:28She has now received a permanent contract with the company,
05:31which she will take on after her final exams.
05:34Felix felt university wasn't the right fit,
05:36and discovered his strengths lie in more practical work.
05:40Because in school and university you have to teach yourself a lot,
05:45I decided to go for an apprenticeship instead.
05:49I expected to get more guidance while learning,
05:52and I've also found that people here take more care of you
05:55and respond to you more directly.
05:59For young people like DJ, Ruth, Emil and Felix,
06:03it's a second chance.
06:06When young people arrive here,
06:08we are sometimes surprised by how little confidence they have
06:12and how many problems they come with,
06:15how insecure they are.
06:19And when they leave our program,
06:22provided that we are able to engage and support them effectively here,
06:26they grow into young people who are actually able to manage their own problems
06:30and go on to lead a self-determined working life.
06:36The result?
06:37Young people better equipped with the skills needed to face the job market.
06:45Leaving an old life behind isn't easy,
06:47especially if it wasn't a positive journey.
06:50Breaking from the past and launching yourself into unfamiliar surroundings
06:53is an enormous challenge in itself.
06:56But those who make that leap can often find themselves scaling greater heights than ever.
07:01Or so says one of the women who shared her story with us.
07:04Each has her own very personal experience.
07:09The pivotal moment for me was this job where I had to build probably 20 chairs,
07:1610 bookshelves, 5 easels, and I was on my own.
07:23So I took it on and I managed to do it.
07:30That was an amazing feeling to convince myself that I was capable.
07:36As a woman, I was capable.
07:41I'm Aida Ehsani.
07:42I am from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
07:44and I am a carpenter and entrepreneur.
07:50Where I come from, to be successful,
07:53you either become a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer or an architect.
08:02So, because I love reading and everyone was just laying out the path for me to become a lawyer,
08:08I didn't have a choice, basically.
08:15After graduating, I struggled financially.
08:18I had difficulties to continue that path and didn't manage to do my bars.
08:25So that kind of halted my career to become a lawyer.
08:34It was terrifying but also liberating
08:36because the path that was laid out for me was no longer available.
08:42But I had a blank canvas.
08:46That's where it all started.
08:51I discovered how wonderful it is to build with my own two hands.
08:58I met my partner and we decided to start a business together.
09:06So after a few years of doing the business with my partner,
09:11we got a divorce and I had to question myself whether I could do this on my own as a
09:18woman.
09:22After building the amount of chairs, bookshelves and easel,
09:27seeing everything completed, I actually cried.
09:34I did because I doubted myself at the start, you know,
09:38whether I should continue doing this.
09:41And it just gave me a boost that I needed.
09:47Not just for my business but life in general.
09:54Malaysian women doing woodworking is unheard of.
09:57And not just in Malaysia, I think in Asian countries in general.
10:15Girls do sewing and cooking only.
10:19And men get to do woodworking, which I guess is unfair.
10:28I didn't have anyone to look up to.
10:35So in 2019, I launched Malaysia's first women's woodworking workshop
10:39to empower other women to take on woodworking.
10:43But also, it's more than just woodworking, you know.
10:47Women need to unlearn all these expectations that's placed on them.
10:52Like even making a small mistake.
10:57I have to teach them that it's okay to make mistakes.
11:01Because in life, you will make mistakes.
11:04You just have to learn to fix it or find a different way to do it, you know.
11:10So, empowering other women gives me hope for the next generation as well.
11:19Because once they unlearn this limiting belief,
11:23they would pass down to their children
11:25and also give them a new way to live life.
11:30You know, not what society expects of us, but what they want to do with their life.
11:45Apart from woodworking, I do hiking.
11:50When you climb a mountain, everything is uncertain.
11:54The weather, the altitude.
11:59You will never be prepared for what you're going to face.
12:04Just like life.
12:07So, if I didn't have to start over, I would have been stuck in this path that was laid out
12:13for me.
12:14Not being my own choice.
12:20So, if you are at a point in your life that you're doubting yourself whether you should start over and
12:26try something new,
12:28you should live in the moment and put aside your overthinking, your anxiety, your doubts
12:34and take that leap of faith.
12:38Take that leap of faith into the uncertain future without knowing anything,
12:43but just doing it because you know that's what you want to do.
12:57History is littered with examples of people who broke the mould to find success.
13:02Take Ed Hardy, a tattooist who launched his own lucrative clothing brand.
13:06In today's tough economic climate, with energy prices soaring,
13:11smart solutions can help keep companies afloat.
13:14Bangladesh's textile industry is one of many trying something new.
13:19Textile factories are the heart of Bangladesh's economy,
13:23but that heart is now beating a little slower.
13:27Since the Iran war, companies have struggled with high energy prices
13:30and can no longer export their goods on time.
13:33The result? Factories are closing down and laying off their workers.
13:37How can the industry in Bangladesh emerge from this crisis?
13:41The manager of this textile factory is making his daily rounds through the production floor.
13:47The machines are still running, but for how much longer?
13:50Energy has become too expensive.
13:53Power outages are becoming more and more frequent,
13:56making it increasingly difficult to keep the machines running.
14:00According to the manager, production has already dropped sharply.
14:05The mood at the table with the other managers is sombre, the faces are grim.
14:12Yes, it's obvious that the fuel crisis will lead to a decrease in our production capacity,
14:17because when there's no power, no energy, then automatically efficiency drops,
14:21which we've seen many times.
14:25The energy supply isn't the only problem.
14:28Transport and logistics costs have also nearly doubled since the outbreak of the war in Iran.
14:33As a result, many textile manufacturers have been unable to meet production targets
14:38and unable to ship their goods.
14:42This can lead to quite the vicious circle, according to the president of Bangladesh's leading textile association.
14:49He himself owns a factory.
14:56When we miss a shipment date with the buyers,
14:59we have to negotiate with them afterwards.
15:03Sometimes we're forced to send the goods by air,
15:06and doing that means 50-60% of the value of my goods vanishes.
15:13And experts say this crisis could have repercussions for the entire country.
15:20So about 4 million people are engaged in the sector.
15:24So any challenge or pressure on the sector is going to have an overarching impact on various sectors of the
15:35economy.
15:36At the moment, one meeting follows another.
15:39Textile companies have been accustomed to crises since the COVID-19 pandemic, if not before.
15:44Production collapsed back then as well, but this time, according to the president, it's worse.
15:51Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, before that COVID, then the US tariffs, and later the Iran-US war,
15:59the international market is not stable.
16:02The economy has entered a volatile situation.
16:06As a result, buyers are also alarmed.
16:09In an unpredictable situation, they have also reduced imports.
16:14Because their sales have decreased.
16:18Textile companies in Pakistan, India, and Vietnam now see an opportunity to catch up.
16:24To date, China remains the world's largest textile exporter, bringing in $165 billion annually,
16:32followed by Bangladesh on $38 billion, and close behind Vietnam on $34 billion.
16:37But India's textile industry is growing and has held a decisive advantage since the outbreak of the Iran war.
16:45For example, India is relatively in a better situation in terms of access to oil during this crisis.
16:54It may be they have reserves, they have access to other sources as well.
16:59So that's an advantage, I would say, compared to Bangladesh.
17:04Team Group, a company with 10,000 employees, is well aware that the competition in Vietnam, as well as in
17:11India and Pakistan, is not sitting idle.
17:15The company's management decided early on not to rely solely on oil.
17:19There are diesel generators in the basement for emergencies, but they haven't been used yet.
17:24Instead, they have solar panels on the roof, and that investment is now paying off.
17:29Other companies like this one have not yet invested in renewable energy to become independent of oil and gas.
17:35And now, in the midst of the crisis, it's even more difficult.
17:39Should the government step in to help?
17:43Some support to the manufacturers in terms of lower energy prices could help in reducing the production cost.
17:55Of course, this also means that the government will have to bear a high amount of subsidy.
18:00But in order to maintain the smooth production and exports, I think the government might also have to think on
18:11providing some sort of supports at this point in time.
18:17But some believe that help has come too late.
18:23Many factories have already closed, but if our government becomes a little kinder,
18:28and our organisations become a bit more active, then work might pick up again.
18:32If not, we might survive for another year, but no more than that.
18:40The energy crisis is a test for Bangladesh's textile industry.
18:45Now we will see just how resilient these companies really are.
18:54Europe must find a way to break free of its dependence on China, especially when it comes to rare earth
19:00materials.
19:01These are crucial in the production of high-tech devices.
19:04One way to do that is through recycling.
19:07The materials Europe needs have been there all along.
19:10They just need to be extracted from old devices.
19:13This could be key to growing the tech industry without having to rely on expensive Chinese imports.
19:21This black powder holds huge potential.
19:24It's neodymium, a raw material that belongs to the rare earth elements.
19:29And it's found, for example, in these so-called permanent magnets, which are in high demand in the automotive industry.
19:35They are built into every electric car motor, as you can see at this factory of a major German car
19:42maker.
19:43They make electric motors compact, powerful and efficient.
19:47But it's becoming more and more difficult for companies to get products made with rare earth elements.
19:57Rare earth resources are not distributed evenly across the globe.
20:01They are mining areas with very high concentrations that are easy to extract.
20:06These are mainly in Asia, specifically in China.
20:09Over the years, this has led to the development of a monopoly with 98% of magnet production,
20:15as well as the separation and metallization of mined ore.
20:19One startup is aiming to break this monopoly.
20:23The system makes it possible to recycle permanent magnets.
20:26It's brand new technology.
20:29The rare earth elements are separated from the magnets through a complex process.
20:33It's considered environmentally friendly because it runs on hydrogen.
20:38For the startup's employees, the first order of business is to learn.
20:42That's because expertise in magnetic technology has all but disappeared in Germany over the past 40 years.
20:49Now it's time for a fresh start.
20:52In recent years, magnets weren't taught.
20:55Not in chemistry, not in physics, not in material science.
21:00Because it was a technology from which we had essentially moved on.
21:04Magnets had been a cheap commodity that we bought from China.
21:08But awareness that they are a key material has been growing again in recent years.
21:17The biggest challenge for recycling is simply finding used magnets on the market.
21:22There are very few suppliers.
21:24At the moment, the recycling process is focused on old hard drives.
21:28These come from data centers or banks that are upgrading their hardware.
21:32They are inexpensive and easy to transport.
21:35First, the hard drives must be broken down.
21:39Otherwise, the machine cannot extract the rare earth elements.
21:42The magnet is installed in this corner.
21:46Permanent magnets are also used in wind turbines and electric cars.
21:52But many of these products are not yet being recycled because they are still in use.
21:58The market situation is unclear.
22:03That is indeed a challenge right now.
22:06Partly because there are apparently players in the market who are buying this scrap metal at very high prices.
22:13Prices that make recycling completely uncompetitive.
22:16And we suspect that some of it is being shipped abroad and ultimately ends up back in China.
22:22But at the moment, that's just a guess.
22:26Despite all the obstacles, full-scale production is expected to be up and running as early as next year.
22:33Funding has been secured by partner companies from Canada and the UK.
22:37This machine here comes from China and is actually supposed to press new magnets from recycled material.
22:43But it's still sitting idle.
22:45That's because Chinese experts are needed to get it up and running.
22:49But they haven't been allowed to leave the country yet.
22:52China is trying to prevent the knowledge of magnet production from reaching Germany and Europe.
22:57And it's imposing extensive export controls.
23:02The export regulations are open to interpretation.
23:10In some Chinese regions, there are no issues at all.
23:15In others, there are restrictions regarding who the customers are and what the products are intended for.
23:27Chinese export controls are making it harder to do business.
23:31German manufacturers like MUT in Jena are benefiting from this.
23:36More and more Western countries are turning to a circular economy to reduce their dependence on China.
23:42The specialty firm's older books are full.
23:45And it is looking to hire new employees.
23:48The company acquired its expertise in recycling plants from the University of Birmingham.
23:53Nevertheless, it is unable to completely shake off its dependence on China.
24:03Europe is pursuing a strategy to bring more facilities of this kind online.
24:07But this is still insufficient to meet global demand, at least not yet.
24:12Right now, because of the shift to electrification across all sectors,
24:16the overall demand for magnets is simply much greater than what is being returned to the market from end-of
24:22-life applications.
24:25Automotive supplier ZF labels the magnets it installs
24:28so that the rare-earth elements they contain can be easily identified.
24:33This is intended to make recycling easier and thus make the circular economy more efficient.
24:44And now for an important raw material that you may never have heard of.
24:49It has myriad uses and it's renewable.
24:53Seagrass. On the ocean floor, it provides food and shelter for marine life.
24:58When it washes ashore, it's often considered trash.
25:01Every morning, crews clean the Baltic sea beaches before tourists arrive.
25:061,000 metric tons of seagrass wash ashore here over the course of a year.
25:12But seagrass is also an ideal raw material for building homes.
25:16Vincent Marnitz produces this eco-friendly insulation material.
25:21Sand and seagrass are separated and dried using solar energy.
25:25Approval procedures are underway to certify it as an insulation material throughout Europe.
25:29There are already enquiries from Mediterranean countries where algae pose a huge waste problem.
25:36They are very similar to seagrass.
25:44This week on MADE, we presented new technologies and discussed how we can all break free from old dependencies.
25:50As ever, it's centred around the people who make these futures possible by leaving old habits behind and daring to
25:57try something new.
26:00See you next time.
26:01See you next time.
26:01Bye-bye.
26:05Bye-bye.
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