Minister Wissing meets trainee hearing aid acousticians
The motto of this year's "VET week" in Rhineland-Palatinate was "Skilled trades: full of potential". The week promotes initial and further education and training and for this purpose highlights training companies and the training they provide. The organiser is the Rhineland-Platinate Ministry for Economy, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture. Minister for Economic Affairs Volker Wissing visited the hearing aid acousticians training company "Hörgeräte Fachberatung Becker GmbH" based in Mainz.
The company, the occupational profile and the training were presented to the minister by managing director Jürgen Becker, himself a master hearing aid acoustician, together with Anja Obermann, General Manager of the Chamber of Crafts and Trades for the Rheinhessen region, and Dr. Juliane Schwoch, head of press and public relations for the Federal Guild of Hearing-Aid Acousticians (biha) KdöR. Wissing experienced audiology hands-on. The minister not only held the tiny minicomputers in his hand, but also experienced for himself what it's like to hear with a hearing system.
The sector is an excellent example of very varied, future-proof and permeable dual training. Hearing aid acoustics offers every school leaver the same opportunities. And it is not a one-way street: With the journeyman examination in their pocket, there are a variety of different routes the young hearing aid acousticians might take in shaping their future, be it is as a journeyman, by completing a bachelor's or master's degree in hearing aid acoustics, as an acoustician in the industry or the master craftsman certificate. This enables them to become self-employed and even to train young people themselves.
Minister Wissing asked trainee Dennis Schaft what had made him choose hearing aid acoustics. He said that his parents had suggested he apply to Becker and he did a trial period. "I knew it was right from the start," said Schaft. He explains how he particularly enjoys working with people for whom he can go some way to restoring their quality of life with a perfectly adjusted and individually adapted hearing solution.
There is a huge amount of work involved in training as a hearing aid acoustician. On average, one in two specialist stockists trains an apprentice. Anja Obermann has praise for the broad nature of this craft trade in the healthcare sector. It is precisely this, she says, which makes the training occupation so interesting to young people. A technical affinity and an interest in science and medical matters is important for applicants, as is the desire to work with people.
Dr. Juliane Schwoch, biha, made reference to the degree of digitalisation in this trade. Today, digitalisation is the word on everyone's lips. However, within hearing aid acoustics, it has long since been commonplace and forms part of the hearing audiologist training at the hearing aid acoustics campus in Lubeck, a training centre and centre of excellence which is unique worldwide.
"Young people with high quality training are essential for a strong and dynamic economy and society in Rhineland-Palatinate," explains Minister Wissing. "What I can see and experience here for myself is a varied and highly interesting training occupation in a sector with great prospects for the future." Wissing added that dual training provides a "worthwhile access route into the world of work". "Dual vocational education and training has given us Europe's lowest youth unemployment rate and provides young people with the very best opportunities for advancement," explains Minister Wissing.
Background to the skilled trade of the hearing aid acoustician: In Germany there are approximately 5.4 million people with an indicated hearing impairment. And the trend is increasing. Deafness is one of the ten most common health problems. With around 6,600 hearing aid acoustics businesses and approximately 15,000 hearing aid acousticians, the hearing aid acoustician skilled trade already provides approximately 3.7 million people in Germany with high-quality, fully digital hearing systems. The Federal Guild of Hearing-Aid Acousticians (biha) KdöR represents the interests of hearing aid acousticians in Germany.