Successful vocational continuing education is to be made more attractive in Hamburg. For the first time, the Hanseatic city is rewarding vocational upgrading training and has put aside six million euros for this purpose. The goal is to gradually place degrees and continuing vocational training on an equal footing.
In future, those completing the master craftsman examination or comparable upgrading training, for example as a certified senior clerk/certified specialist, will receive €1,000 as an additional incentive. According to information from the School and Vocational Education Training authority, the senate is providing a total of €6 million for these measures in 2019 and 2020. Around 4000 skilled workers are therefore likely to benefit from the new bonus.
"A degree is not the better route, continuing vocational training is most definitely equivalent," explains Ties Rabe, Senator for Education, adding, "with the delays in improvements promised at national level, Hamburg will do much more itself to ensure greater equality."
He explains that there are significant differences at present. Prospective master craftsmen and women and certified senior clerks/specialists do, in fact, obtain the same level of grant as students. However, while the degree is largely free of charge with no fees applied, when it comes to continuing vocational education the high course fees and often likewise high costs of materials are in some cases only partially compensated for by state subsidies.
According to Ties Rabe, there is no reason why advanced vocational training should be less well funded than the degree. "It is the highly qualified skilled workers and managers in particular who contribute significantly to the success and future viability of the Hamburg economy. Not only do they lay the foundations for their own professional career, but they often also establish businesses and train young people. Continuing vocational education is therefore a key building block for both the economy and the well-being of our city," says Rabe.
Securing a skilled workforce for Hamburg’s craft trades
The Hamburg Chamber of Crafts and Trades welcomes the master craftsman bonus as an "important signal from the senate regarding the equivalence of academic and vocational education and training". Josef Katzer, President of the Hamburg Chamber of Crafts and Trades, explains that the introduction of the bonus represents a step in the right direction for ensuring a skilled workforce in the Hamburg skilled trades.
"Prospective master craftsmen and women are forced to take on quite a lot for the upgrading training, including high costs, no income in the case of a full-time course, and a demanding examination. The bonus is recognition of this commitment. The master craftsman qualification stands for quality and therefore also for consumer protection. It represents the future of the skilled trades. Master craftsmen and women establish or take over companies with very good prospects of success, and they ensure training is provided for the next generation. The dual system of vocational education and training plus upgrading training is a combination which offers the best career opportunities and earnings potential. This must be communicated at an early stage in career orientation in schools," explains Katzer.
Follow-up training following VET
According to the Chamber of Commerce, around 1000 new certified senior clerks/certified specialists, industrial master craftsmen and women, and management specialists, who successfully take the advanced training examination with the Chamber each year, benefit from this measure. André Mücke, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce commented, "Most of our examinees have prepared themselves with courses over several years alongside their occupation. The new master craftsman bonus not only eases the burden on graduates financially. It also documents the important role the graduates play in addressing the urgent issues of the future and hopefully will also increasingly play in the future. As a Chamber of Commerce we shall use this as impetus for further establishing higher level vocational education and training as a secure route of follow-up training after dual VET."
Around 2000 eligible for bonus each year
Approximately 750 master craftsmen and women in the craft trades currently pass their final examination each year. In addition, there are more than 1000 graduates from other upgrading training programmes, including business specialists, senior business specialists, senior trade specialists, human resource specialists, technical business specialists, certified specialists for logistics systems and for health and social services, industrial master craftsmen and women in metalworking, electrical engineering and chemistry, and vocational training specialists. All who successfully complete the continuing education and who are resident or work in Hamburg receive the new bonus. The senate anticipates that up to 2000 graduates will be entitled to the bonus each year.
Vocational upgrading training has so much to offer. It usually takes between 13 months (master craftsman qualification in hairdressing) and 31 months (master craftsman qualification in electrical engineering). Over this period, graduates work in the occupation at the same time. Continuing vocational education is alternatively offered on a full-time basis for which the period required is shortened accordingly.
Approximately 40 per cent of graduates make use of this option. In contrast to students, prospective master craftsmen and women or certified senior clerks/specialists are required to pay fees for courses, examinations and material and these may differ significantly depending on the occupational field. Those who successfully complete their continuing education will pay fees of around €13,500 on average. In the end, after deducting current state subsidies, graduates usually have to pay around €2,500 out of their own pocket.