What occupations that require training are the most demanded in Germany? In this category, you will find the currently most demanded training professions.

I – Mechatronics engineer for air-conditioning/ refrigeration

Craftsmanship, a high degree of care and technical understanding – these are the skills you will learn during your vocational training as a mechatronics engineer for refrigeration technology.

Course contents

What are the different methods of joining components? How do you read assembly drawings and circuit diagrams? These are some of the fundamental questions trainees will deal with at the beginning of their training. In the next stage, they will learn how to prepare complex air-conditioning and refrigeration machinery and systems for operation and how to maintain and repair them. Additionally, they will become specialists on cost-efficient and eco-friendly operation of air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. Mechatronics engineers for air-conditioning and refrigeration work in companies that build and fix air-conditioning/refrigeration systems in supermarkets, offices, hospitals or other buildings.

Does this description sound good to you? Then you might be interested in a vocational training course in mechatronics engineering.

Special requirements

Working with (flammable) cooling agents demands great care and attention. Mechatronics engineers need to be highly flexible in their approach, as they will be working on site in different places and environments. However, this also means that you will have a lot of variety in your job. If you have some mechanical skills and are technically-minded on top of that, this will definitely help you master the challenges of this occupation.

Places of study

This is a dual vocational training course. The theory is taught at a vocational school (Berufsschule), while practical training takes place at a craftsperson’s workshop or an industrial company.

Duration: 3.5 years

Remuneration corresponding to years of training (craft business)

1st year    €620 – €900
2nd year   €732 – €1,000
3rd year    €837 – €1,080
4th year    €868 – €1,120

Remuneration corresponding to years of training (work in industry)

1st year     €570 – €853
2nd year    €615 – €940
3rd year     €670 – €1,000
4th year     €720 – €1,050

Remuneration (TVAöD): gross salary before tax and deductions for social security contributions; source: Federal Employment Agency (BA), as of January 2023.

Sector of activities

  • Mechanical engineering and tool manufacture
  • Supply and installation
  • Food and beverage industry

Your prospects after completion

  • Employment in a company offering assembly, operation and maintenance/repair of air-conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump systems
  • Specialisation as cold storage warehouse operator, assembly technician, service technician, quality inspector or supervisor
  • Acquiring additional qualifications such as IT or foreign language skills
  • Continuing vocational training to become a master craftsperson or fully qualified engineer

Further information on this profession:

II – Clinical nurse

Get trained as a nurse: Basic medical knowledge and carefully dealing with persons in need of nursing care are the vocational training’s main focus.

Are you communicative and do you like working with people? Are you also interested in medicine and organisation and you are reliable and conscientious? Then training to become a clinical nurse specialist could be just right for you. Here you will work in the care of people of all ages in various areas, e.g. in hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient care services. Possible areas of work include geriatric nursing and occupational health and paediatric nursing.

Vocational training content

This training offers three options. Either nursing training for all ages (clinical nurse specialist) or long-term care (geriatric nurse) or paediatrics (occupational health and paediatric nurse).

In the first two years of training, general nursing training is provided in all three cases. This includes teaching about the healthy and ill human being, as well as preventive and curative measures. Knowledge of the use of digital administration software, e.g. in nursing documentation, as well as the use of medical technology innovations round off the training. 
Before starting your 3rd year of training, you will have the option to choose your specialisation for the last third of your programme: either geriatric nursing or occupational health care and paediatric nursing or continuing the generalist nursing training and earning the clinical nurse specialist degree. 
Good to know: The generalised, state training qualification of clinical nurse specialists is recognised throughout the EU.

Special requirements 

  • School requirements: You will need a certificate of intermediate education. 
  • Sufficient knowledge of German: Depending on the federal state, you need German language skills at level B1 or B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
  • Physical aptitude: With a certificate from a German doctor, you must prove that you are physically and mentally healthy and therefore suitable for the profession.
  • Reliability: In order to prove your trustworthiness, you will need proof of your criminal record. Depending on the situation, you may need to provide this through a certificate of good conduct from your home country or through a German police clearance certificate.

Learning environment

The practical part of the training takes place in a hospital, nursing home or outpatient nursing service and is more extensive than the theoretical part, which takes place in a nursing school. In addition, practical training is provided in specialised institutions, i.e. in a children’s hospital, in a psychiatric hospital, in counselling centres or hospices. Full-time training ends after three years (part-time after five years) with a state examination.

Remuneration corresponding to years of training

1st year     €1,119
2nd year    €1,252
3rd year     €1,353

Remuneration (TVAöD): gross salary before tax and deductions for social security contributions; source: Federal Employment Agency (BA), as of Januray 2023.

Workplaces   

  • Hospitals
  • Nursing homes
  • Outpatient nursing services
  • Residential homes for people with disabilities
  • Counselling centres and hospices

Prospects after training

  • Clinical nurse specialists take on tasks reserved solely for them, i.e. they assess individual nursing needs, organise nursing processes, carry out nursing and medical measures and are responsible for quality assurance of nursing care. 
  • Further education is necessary to keep up to date, e.g. in the field of hygiene, in nursing or in the implementation of various measures connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Promotional education to become a “specialist nurse” in a wide range of areas, such as intensive care, surgery or geriatric psychiatry. In addition, further education is possible in the areas of case management, managerial posts or as a practical instructor in care. 
  • Bachelor’s degree programmes in the areas of nursing with various specialisations, such as nursing science, vocational education for nursing and health care professions, health and nursing management. Moreover, there are also in-service degree programmes, particularly in advanced clinical nursing. These include emergency nursing, neurological nursing and oncology nursing.   
  • The path to self-employment, e.g. with an outpatient nursing and social service.

Further information on this profession:

Federal Employment Agency 

Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)

Nursing occupations – gaining in significance during the coronavirus crisis

III -Train operator

Get to know every detail of your trains: As railway employee you will control trains, make sure that the passengers stay safe, and you are responsible for any cargo.

Vocational training content

At the beginning of your training, you will learn everything about trains, right down to the individual components they are made of. This ensures that you will have the necessary technical knowledge that enables you to operate trains safely. After all, as a train operator, you will be responsible for the safety of your passengers or the cargo. The training programme will also teach you how to shunt trains. Upon completion of your training, you will also be able to check railcars and make them ready for operation. In addition, you will acquire knowledge about signalling, operating IT systems and the railway system infrastructure.

Special requirements

Operators of locomotives, railcars and other vehicles have a big responsibility. For this job you need to be able to focus. You should also be technically minded and have some mechanical skills in order to be able to carry out maintenance and inspection work on trains and machinery.

Places of study

This is a dual vocational training programme. The theory is taught at a vocational school (Berufsschule), while practical training takes place at a craftsperson’s workshop or an industrial company.

Duration: 3 years

Remuneration corresponding to years of training

(example “Deutsche Bahn”)

1st year     €1,019.00
2nd year    €1,088.00
3rd year     €1,157.00

Remuneration (TVAöD): gross salary before tax and deductions for social security contributions; source: Federal Employment Agency (BA), as of March 2022.

Sector of activities

  • Road and rail traffic (goods and passenger railway companies)
  • Mining, metal production, foundry, railcars (industrial railways in coal mining, iron and steel production or rail car manufacturing)

Your prospects after completion

  • Employment at a railway company
  • Specialisation in staff allocation
  • Acquiring additional qualifications such as IT or foreign language skills
  • Continuing vocational training to obtain a higher vocational qualification in engineering, business administration or as a bachelor professional (Fachwirt)

Further information on this profession:

IV – Industrial electronics engineer

As an electrician for operational technology, you learn how to deal with electric devices, machines and industrial plants.

Vocational training content

Industrial electronics engineers fit and repair electrical devices, machinery and plant equipment that are used for industrial purposes. They carry out repairs in offices and factory workshops and show operators how their equipment works.

To ensure that plant equipment in production halls operates smoothly and safely, the electrics have to be fitted correctly. Industrial electronics engineers learn how to assemble components, measure electrical parameters and check control systems. Upon completion of their training, they will also be capable of programming machine controls and know how to design and run electronic installations.

Does this description sound good to you? Then you might be interested in a vocational training programme in Industrial Electronics Engineering – Automation Technology.

Special requirements

Designing circuit plans does not only require spatial sense, but also drawing skills. In addition, you should have adequate numeracy skills because you will also have to calculate electrical parameters. You should also be technically-minded and have some mechanical skills that enable you to handle electronic systems.

Places of study

This is a dual vocational training course. The theory is taught at a vocational school (Berufsschule), while practical training takes place at a craftsperson’s workshop or an industrial company.

Duration: 3.5 years

Remuneration corresponding to years of training (work in industry)

1st year      €976 – €1,097
2nd year     €1,029 – €1,129
3rd year      €1,102 – €1,199
4th year      €1,177 – €1,264

Remuneration corresponding to years of training (craft business)

1st year      €700 – €900
2nd year     €825 – €950
3rd year      €875 – €1,050
4th year      €925 – €1,150

Remuneration (TVAöD): gross salary before tax and deductions for social security contributions; source: Federal Employment Agency (BA), as of January 2023.

Sector of activities 

  • Mechanical engineering and tool manufacture
  • Power supply
  • Automation technology

Your perspectives after completion

  • Employment at a company that builds, operates and maintains/repairs complex machinery and equipment
  • Specialisation in e.g. quality assurance, customer service or production
  • Acquiring additional qualifications such as IT or foreign language skills
  • Continuing vocational training to become a master craftsman or fully qualified engineer

Further information on this profession:

V – Engineer for sanitary, heating and air-conditioning systems

Master dealing with water, heat and environmental technology: As a plant mechanic, you can specialize in one of many fields.

Vocational training content

Engineers for sanitary, heating and air-conditioning systems lay the basis for fitting heating and air-conditioning systems as well as water pipes, sinks and toilets. This involves planning, building and maintaining pipes and connections.

At the beginning, trainees choose one of the following specialisations: water, ventilation, heating, environmental engineering or renewable energies. All trainees learn how to work with metal and plastics, i.e. drilling, screwing and welding techniques. This will not only enable them to maintain and repair systems, but also to give confident advice to customers. Upon completion of their training, they will also be able to operate control systems and deal with system disruptions.

Special requirements

This training programme requires good numeracy skills because you will have to calculate material requirements and technical parameters. Drawing skills are also required because you will have to draw design plans. Additionally, you should also be able to deal with customers and focus on service.

Places of study

This is a dual vocational training programme. The theory is taught at a vocational school (Berufsschule), while practical training takes place at a craftsperson’s workshop or an industrial company.

Duration: 3.5 years

Remuneration corresponding to years of training (craft business)

1st year     €550 – €900
2nd year    €610 – €1,000
3rd year     €660 – €1,080
4th year     €710 – €1,120

Remuneration corresponding to years of training (industry)

1st year      €570 – €853
2nd year     €615 – €940
3rd year      €670 – €1,000
4th year      €720 – €1,050

Remuneration (TVAöD): gross salary before tax and deductions for social security contributions; source: Federal Employment Agency (BA), as of January 2023.

Sector of activities

  • Supply and installation
  • Electrical installations

Your prospects after completion

  • Employment at companies fitting sanitary, heating and air-conditioning systems
  • Specialisation in e.g. quality assurance, customer service, maintenance or production
  • Acquiring additional qualifications such as IT or foreign language skills
  • Continuing vocational training to become a master craftsman or fully qualified engineer

Further information on this profession:

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