A range of job prospects are available also in the civilian aviation industry after completing the military service. Entry can be facilitated by an advanced training course or retraining with an education provider.
Fixed term regular soldiers leaving the military have good prospects of securing a job in the civilian aviation industry. The Berufsförderungsdienst der Bundeswehr (German armed forces' vocational training service) even facilitates their integration into civilian life by funding a vocational or advanced training course or continuing education programme on the basis of their existing military qualification.
For example, even without civilian practical experience, an aviation-specific continuing education course in the field of technology or engineering at a university of applied sciences opens up a host of new opportunities for civilian jobs in administrative areas.
Laying the foundations for a civilian job
A good number of people who have finished their active service have laid the vocational foundations for a civilian job already during their time at the Bundeswehr armed forces. After all, the German air force requires similar skills for maintaining aircraft and ensuring smooth flight operations as does the civilian aviation industry.
Consequently, the German air force trains its own aircraft mechanics for maintenance, engine and production engineering, amongst other qualifications. It is also possible to attend a three-and-a-half-year course to become an aircraft electronics technician. In the context of vocational education and training with the Bundeswehr armed forces within the dual system, the military service apprentices attend a vocational college together with apprentices from civilian businesses.
One of these recognised vocational training occupations as per the Berufsbildungsgesetz (BBiG - Vocational Training Act) also allows for entry into a civilian career.
Support from the German armed forces' vocational training service
Entry into the civilian aviation industry is possible not only with these industry-specific vocational education and training programmes. Various educational institutions offer advanced training courses and retraining for ex-soldiers.
The school-based and vocational education at public or private educational institutions is supported by funding from the German armed forces' vocational training service.
For example, people with an existing qualification in a basic metal-working occupation can attain the knowledge required for becoming an engine mechanic in an eight-month advanced training course. This is an industry-recognised vocational education and training course in the field of aircraft production. Retraining is somewhat more time-consuming and takes between 24 to 28 months.
Former members of the German armed forces who meet with the requirements can likewise obtain funding from the German armed forces' vocational training service. The potential qualifications include the occupations of air traffic management assistant and aircraft mechanic.
According to statistics, former members of the armed forces have little problem in finding a new job. Information provided by the Federal Office of the Bundeswehr for Human Resource Management states that in the past year about 92.56 per cent of former soldiers have been successfully integrated into the civilian labour market. According to those figures, almost all of them found a civilian job as early as within the first six months of leaving the armed forces.