Attractiveness of advanced training qualifications

BWP Ms. Vieth, what was your motivation for doing an advanced training course leading to a master craftsman qualification?
Vieth It all happened quite suddenly. Two weeks after my journeyman examination, I received a letter from the Dortmund Chamber of Crafts and Trades to inform me that the good marks I had achieved meant that I could be eligible for a continuing training grant. I wasn’t actually thinking of doing advanced training at this point. I then took a decision on the spur of the moment to apply for funding and quickly got approval.
BWP What form did the funding take, and were any conditions attached?
Vieth The grant covered most of the course fees, and the proviso was that I had to complete the master craftsman qualification by the age of 25.
BWP How did you bridge the time until the master craftsman course began?
Vieth After the end of my training, I had a one-year contract of employment with the company that had trained me. This ran out at the end of January, and I began my master craftsman course in March. It was agreed with my then boss that I could be given a fixed-term contract until it was time for my course to start.
BWP Would you have done the master craftsman training course if you had not received the grant?
Vieth I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life on a construction site. For that reason, I had intended to pursue advanced training in the future in order to gain a higher position and to be able to take on responsibility for planning activities. The continuing training grant, of course, acted as a considerable incentive.
BWP How did you get on with doing the course on a full-time basis?
Vieth I had no problem with studying from Monday to Friday. I couldn’t imagine doing such a course on an in-service basis. If you study full-time, it takes just over a year to obtain your master craftsman qualification. If you take the part-time option, even the theoretical part of the course alone takes up more than three years. That is a very protracted way of doing things. You need plenty of perseverance to study after work, often until 9 pm, and to give up every Saturday. I take my hat off to anyone who can manage that!
BWP To what extent have you been able to use what you learned in your advanced training in the work you currently do?
Vieth I am able to deploy many of the extra things I learned in my master craftsman training. Calculations, the planning of buildings, the design and dimensioning of pipelines and the selection of suitable materials are all very important in my current role.
BWP To what extent has the advanced training influenced your professional career?
Vieth Without my master craftsman qualification, I wouldn‘t have the job I have now. About six months before I was due to complete the course, I applied for a job advertised by ma current employer. I wanted to see what kind of position I could aspire to in future. In didn’t necessarily want a job in the craft trades sector. I could also see myself working in industry or for companies that manufacture the products used in our branch. I had nothing to lose. And, three days later, I got a telephone call inviting me to attend for interview. After that, things happened relatively quickly. By Christmas, I had secured my new job and knew what I would be doing after the first of June.
BWP hat further career plans do you have?
Vieth Initially, I want to stay with my present company. I’ve only been there for a year. It’s a large firm, and I need to start by finding my feet. I also think that I have opportunities to advance my career here. There may be the possibility of studying for a degree in product management or a related subject. I would do such a course on an in-service basis.
BWP Your master craftsman certificate includes an alignment to the German Qualifications Framework. This is new, and in formal terms means that your qualification is the equivalent of a Bachelor degree. What is the significance of that for you?
Vieth I think it’s funny that you need to be a master in order to do a Masters! But seriously, it is, of course, great that equivalence is stated in this way. I believe that this has increased the recognition of my master craftsman qualification.

BWP Ms. Mentzel, what motivated you to complete advanced training in the occupation of media specialist?
Mentzel I wanted to learn something new and improve my chances on the labour market. For me, my initial training in the occupation of technical design assistant was not a sufficient prerequisite for a job in the area of work that interested me. I wanted to get away from “just designing things” and move in the direction of business administration topics, market-ing and media law and to see how all these aspects are inter-connected within the sector.
BWP Was your training in the occupation of technical design assistant a good foundation for the advanced training?
Mentzel Although technical design assistant is “only” a federal state regulated training occupation, it is very universal and broadly based. The contents are at least equivalent to the occupation of media designer. The fact that I had worked in the field of media design for many years meant that I fulfilled the formal entry requirements for advanced training.
BWP Did you take advantage of the funding opportunities available?
Mentzel I received upgrading training assistance via the KfW Development Bank. This helped me greatly during the time I was completing the advanced training.
BWP The advanced training course took place in the form of blended learning, i.e. a combi-nation of e-learning and classroom-based training. What were the benefits of this?
Mentzel I found it to be excellent! I was able to plan my own learning times. Because the course documentation was available irrespective of where I was, I was able to learn during my free time at the office, at home or on the train. Apart from the deadlines for submitting assignments, which of course I had to meet, I was able to divide up my time according to my own requirements. Because I was working full-time during the period, this was absolutely ideal! Having scheduled teaching blocks every
Saturday and on a weekday evening for two years, which is usually the case for in-service training, was not something I was prepared to contemplate.
BWP Do you think that this form of learning has its limitations?
Mentzel Because everything takes place in writing via a learning platform, it can, of course, sometimes take time for questions to be answered. Although the system worked well and my supervisor always responded quickly, I sometimes missed the immediate dialogue that would be possible with a direct contact partner. The combination is important. Only to have distance learning without practical workshops attended in person would have been much more difficult, especially for topics such as business administration and human resources management.
BWP How well did you feel that the course prepared you for the examination?
Mentzel I received very good support, particularly for the subjects in which classroom seminars were held to give us specific assistance.
BWP To what extent has the advanced training influenced your professional career?
Mentzel Once I had achieved certified senior clerk status as a media specialist, I applied for a position as a designer. My current job then found me, so to speak. My line managers be-came aware of the qualification and competences I actually possess, and I was offered a position in online marketing at our sister company.
BWP To what extent have you been able to use what you learned in your advanced training in the work you currently do?
Mentzel I am mainly able to make use of more cross-cutting knowledge in areas such as cooperation within the company, human resources, legal backgrounds, communication and business management. There is not so much scope for the media-specific contents of the course. Online marketing has undergone considerable further development since I obtained my qualification in 2010. There are now new media technologies and communication channels, such as company pages on Facebook or Twitter. It was, of course, not possible for the contents of the advanced training course to take such things into account four years ago.
BWP What further career plans do you have?
Mentzel For the moment, I am very happy in my job. But I want to learn even more, both in the field of media and in business administration. I’m not looking for a change of career, I simply wish to continue learning.
New technologies and further developments are constantly emerging. I do not want to remain at my present status of knowledge.

BWP What was your motivation for initially completing a qualification as a certified banking specialist rather than pursuing an advanced training course specific to the savings bank sector?
Düx Attending the Savings Bank Academy would have been a simpler route, not least because of the direct funding available. But I wanted to keep my options open. What will be happening in 20 years? What if I change banks for personal reasons, such as if I were to relocate? In such a case, a qualification as certified savings bank specialist will be of less use to me if I apply for a job at the Deutsche Bank. I wanted to expand my horizons. The advantage of attending a private academy was that I had an opportunity to network with colleagues from the private and cooperative banking sectors and was able to see how the banking business works in these fields.
BWP Why did you go on to complete a degree-level qualification as a banking economist?
Düx In order to make real progress in my career. At the Savings Bank, I began by working in sales. This was also something I enjoyed. But if you want to do something else that is not sales based, you need to make sure that you acquire degree level qualifications. The Savings Bank views higher education study and advanced management training at the School of Finance and Management as being equivalent job entry requirements. In order to be able to apply for the position I wanted, it was obvious to me that I needed to follow up my qualification as a certified banking specialist by going on to obtain a degree level qualification as a banking economist. You are already involved in the learning process, and it therefore makes sense to complete such advanced training qualifications consecutively. My personal life also allowed me to do so. I did not have any children or a wife to consult about my decisions.
BWP Did you take advantage of any funding opportunities available, and if so which ones?
Düx I received upgrading training assistance for my certified banking specialist qualification. The Savings Bank pays for part of the advanced training costs depending on the final mark achieved. I also received support from my parents.
BWP Did the contents of your two advanced training courses and the quality of teaching meet your expectations?
Düx Yes, because both were structured in a very practical way. I found that very good. In seminars and lectures, it is often the case that a large amount of theoretical knowledge is imparted. This is, however, not easy to transfer to practice. At the Frankfurt School, colleague from other banks give lectures alongside the higher edu-cation lecturers in order to secure proximity to practice.
BWP To what extent have you been able to use what you learned in your advanced training in the work you currently do?
Düx My dissertation dealt with the topic of “multi-channel sales”, and I then went on to become a Team Leader for Multi-Channel Management. To this extent, I am able to transfer knowledge on a one-to-one basis. The advanced training courses were definitely tailored towards my present position.
BWP To what extent has the advanced training influenced your professional career?
Düx Strongly. Let me put in this way. My initial training in the occupation of bank clerk was not on its own enough to enable me to achieve my medium-term professional goals. My advanced training qualifications really gave me every opportunity to find a job. My dissertation was a further important aspect for the next stage of my career.
BWP What further career plans do you have?
Düx I have been in my new job for 18 months and am very happy at the moment. I would like to continue to work in the area of “media-based sales”. This is also home to the topics of social media and online banking. It is an interesting field that is undergoing strong growth. I would like to continue to gain a foothold and carry on my profesional develop-ment on an ongoing basis.

BWP Ms. Hutt, what motivated you to complete advanced training in the occupation of certified industrial foreman specialised in mechatronics?
Hutt I wanted to pursue opportunities in the company beyond those that were available to me with training as a mechatronics fitter only. I was seeking new challenges. I was also interested in opening up the possibility of moving in the direction of human resources man-agement. I did not wish to remain in production permanently, and therefore took the decision to develop myself further.
BWP Did you take advantage of the funding opportunities available?
Hutt No, I financed all of the advanced training myself. I was able to pay for the course monthly. This meant that I did not have to spend a lot of money up front, and it was easily manageable for me.
BWP To what extent did you receive support from your company?
Hutt We are released for up to ten working days a year to do advanced training leading to a master craftsman qualification. You can also take the time in half days, depending on requirements. Because I was working shifts, I had to go home early once a week in order to attend the continuing training course. I was allowed to take half a day from the ten days on each occasion. This wouldn’t have worked without the flexibility of my colleagues, from whom I also received support.
BWP Did the contents of your advanced training course and the quality of teaching meet your expectations?
Hutt All in all, yes. The way in which some of the contents were taught was, however, not appropriate for advanced training for adults in my view. Some topics were very frequently repeated using a teaching from the front approach rather than by setting practice exercises or by encouraging autonomous processing of the tasks.
BWP Despite this, did you feel that you were well prepared for the examination?
Hutt Very well, actually. All the topics contained within the skeleton curriculum were covered. There was also separate reinforcement of main focus subjects for mechatronics fitters.
BWP To what extent has the advanced training influenced your professional career?
Hutt The advanced training enabled me to move from production into maintenance. I was also able to begin work as a co-trainer relatively quickly. In order to work as a trainer at our company, you need to have successfully completed a master craftsman qualification or advanced training as a technician. My work as a co-trainer has now become my main task. I really enjoy passing on my knowledge to trainees who are often only a little bit younger than me. It’s fun to impart this knowledge and to show them that they are training in an occupation with a highly promising future.
BWP To what extent have you been able to use what you learned in your advanced training in the work you currently do?
Hutt There is plenty of opportunity to make good use of my specialist knowledge from the field of mechatronics. The things I have learned in my trainer aptitude training are, of course, helpful to me in my capacity as a co-trainer. There is not as much call for business management actions and other cross-cutting topics. These are not as relevant to my function in a large company such as ours.
BWP What further career plans do you have?
Hutt At the moment, my role as a co-trainer is giving me the opportunity to see whether I wish to remain in the field of human resources or would perhaps prefer to move into the technical area as a planner or technical specialist. I’m still in the discovery phase, nothing is decided yet. But my feeling is that I will decide to go with human resources, because I enjoy working with people directly.

(Interview: Arne Schambeck)

Translation from the German original (published in BWP 4/2014): Martin Stuart Kelsey, Global SprachTeam, Berlin