Old Virtues, New Work – IAGF contribution to the TAKE Conference 2025

At the TAKE Conference 2025, which took place this year from July 1 to 3 at Sofia University, DI Heidrun Bichler-Ripfel (IAGF – Institute for Applied Trade Research) and Dr. Radwan Kharabsheh presented key findings from the EU project "Old Labor Virtues for the Working World of Tomorrow." The presentation, entitled "Old Values, New Work: The Strategic Potential of Traditional Virtues in SMEs in the Craft Sector," was part of the parallel sessions on July 3 at 4:30 p.m.

In focus: The question of what significance traditional work ethics have in a working world characterized by digitalization, skills shortages, and generational change.

Traditional virtues as a resource for the future

The study presented is based on37 in-depth interviewswith master craftsmen from 16 trades in all nine federal states of Austria.

The following virtues were repeatedly mentioned in the interviews:

• Reliability and responsibility
• Mastery, quality, care
• Collegiality and knowledge sharing

The evaluation shows that these "old virtues" continue to shape identity, promote customer trust, and act as a driving force for quality and innovation—especially in small and medium-sized craft businesses.

Old Virtues Meet "New Work"
The project examined how traditional virtues fit in with modern expectations, especially those of Generation Z.

Result:
Many young people are looking for meaning, authenticity, and involvement—and thus precisely the quality- and responsibility-oriented culture that has historically developed in the skilled trades. However, this requires an updated implementation:

• Leadership as mentoring rather than pure hierarchy
• Hybrid knowledge transfer: Integration of modern learning methods such as digital learning formats
• Digitalization as a tool, not a substitute for craftsmanship

Summary: Old virtues—reimagined for the future of work

The presentation by DI Heidrun Bichler-Ripfel impressively demonstrated:

• Traditional work ethic is not a nostalgic phenomenon, but a highly relevant success factor for SMEs in the skilled trades.
• When properly integrated, they can serve as a strategic anchor for quality leadership, securing young talent, innovation, and sustainable corporate development.
• Your future lies in combining tradition with a modern work culture: value-oriented, people-centered, digitally supported.

The TAKE Conference 2025 has thus provided important impetus:
The future of work in the skilled trades is emerging where old values are being consciously reinterpreted.

More information about the OLV project can be found at https://lv4ww.eu/.