Bundesinnung Gerüstbau brings scaffolding careers to life with VR Expert

Based in Cologne, the Bundesinnung für das Gerüstbauer-Handwerk is a national trade organisation supporting scaffolding businesses. Founded in 1998, it works alongside the Bundesverband Gerüstbau to represent the sector and help member companies with the issues they face in their daily work. Its member services include professional advice, seminars and support with occupational safety.

Representing approximately 800 member companies across Germany, the organisation also works to attract the next generation of scaffolders. Its recruitment campaign combines social media, school visits and career fairs to explain the profession and challenge outdated perceptions of the work.

Scaffolding requires more than physical strength. Projects involving churches and historic buildings, for example, can demand complex structures adapted to the building and the renovation work. Helping young people understand that variety is an important part of the Bundesinnung’s outreach.

At career events, however, scaffolding companies face a practical challenge. Other trades can offer a small task for visitors to try, but students cannot simply build a scaffold or be taken up onto a working construction site. Photographs and conversations can explain the job, yet they cannot fully convey the view from the structure.

The Bundesinnung introduced VR to bring that perspective into the event space. Young visitors, often aged 15 or 16, put on a headset and watch films that give them the sensation of being on a scaffold and seeing the working environment from above.

The experience uses recorded video. Students look around the scene as it plays, while the focus remains on discovering the profession. The programme launched with three 360-degree films, giving member companies content they could use directly at their stands.

The collaboration began in 2025 after colleagues in the roofing sector recommended VR Expert. They were already using VR in their own outreach and shared their positive experience with the Bundesinnung.

VR Expert supplied an initial five PICO VR headsets. Member companies requested the equipment frequently, prompting the organisation to purchase two more in 2026. The fleet now consists of seven headsets, available for members to borrow for their events.

This expansion followed demand from the businesses using the service. By adding equipment to a shared fleet, the Bundesinnung could increase availability without requiring each participating company to purchase its own headset.

The Bundesinnung runs the VR headset loan service internally. A colleague coordinates booking dates, sends the requested equipment to members and organises its return so it can be used by another company. Members typically request one or two devices for an event.

Borrowing the equipment is completely free for member companies, including shipping. This makes VR available as part of the organisation’s wider recruitment support, alongside the campaign materials companies already use at their stands. VR Expert supplied the hardware, while the Bundesinnung manages bookings and distribution across its member network.

According to the Bundesinnung, the headsets attract young visitors who are curious to try VR, and member companies have responded enthusiastically. Once visitors put on a headset, the films give them a concrete impression of the environment scaffolders work in. That experience provides a starting point for discussing the job and the opportunities it offers.

The clearest sign of uptake has been the demand for equipment, which led the organisation to expand its fleet. The project demonstrates how a trade organisation can give its members a shared resource for career outreach and help them present a profession that is difficult to demonstrate in person.

The Bundesinnung is considering filming additional content in 2027 to broaden the experience. For now, its focus is on making the existing headsets available to members and supporting their efforts to introduce young people to scaffolding.

Learn more about scaffolding careers through Gerüstbaulehre. To discuss VR equipment for your own career outreach or events, contact VR Expert.