Those who wish to study can find all the necessary information there, get help solving problems, and receive advice not only on training but also on other vital issues. For those who want to obtain a qualification, meetings are organized, and often mediation in finding a training place.
Chamber of Crafts
Chambers of Crafts (Handwerkskammern) are exactly the place where you can get comprehensive information on training and answers to questions about various professions. Chambers of Crafts can be considered professional educational centers. They have numerous advisory and information centers about the job market and regional training job exchanges. At the Central Association of German Craftsmen (Zentralverband des deutschen Handwerks, ZDH), interested parties can also get information about professions and available training places.
Chamber of Industry and Commerce
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce (Industrie- und Handelskammer, IHK) provides information on education in the field of commerce and trade, offers consultations, helps find a training place, and conducts exams. The umbrella organization, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag, DIHK), also offers information on retraining and advanced training opportunities after graduation.
Chambers of Liberal Professions
The so-called liberal professions include several professional groups: doctors, pharmacists and other medical specialists, lawyers, tax or economic consultants, specialists in various technical professions such as engineers and architects, as well as representatives of creative professions. In Germany, 2.9 million people belong to the 'liberal professionals', of which 136,000 are still only training for such professions.
Therefore, they naturally would like to have institutions that are responsible for each specialty. And such institutions exist: these are all the relevant federal chambers. For example, the Federal Medical Chamber (Bundesarztekammer), the Federal Chamber of Lawyers (Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer), or the Federal Chamber of Notaries (Bundesnotarkammer). All of them deal with educational issues in their fields.
Chambers of Agriculture
The Chamber of Agriculture is responsible for education in agriculture and forestry, as well as horticulture (Land- und Forstwirtschaft und im Gartenbau). Here you can get information on training and various courses, retraining seminars, advanced training, and addresses of unions within the Chamber.
Federal Employment Agency
The Federal Employment Agency, or officially: the Federal Ministry of Social Security for Employment Control (Bundesagentur fur Arbeit) – an institution where everyone who needs vocational training can get comprehensive information on issues they are interested in.
This includes the Career Information Center (Berufsinformationszentrum, BIZ), which helps in finding a training place and where extensive information about professions is collected. Naturally, at the Federal Employment Agency, as well as at the Career Information Center, you can get individual advice on training issues as well as attend seminars and meetings on this topic.
Federal Ministries and Federal Institutes
State institutes and ministries are also related to education. This includes the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (Bundesinstitut fur Berufsbildung, BIBB), where research in the field of vocational training is conducted and all interested parties can get advice. The same is done by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), which provides information and conducts seminars for learners. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Employment (Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Arbeit) is responsible for the operation of existing and the creation of new educational institutions.
In Germany, there are more than 340 state-recognized professions for which you can get training.
Dina DESS,
«Russkaya Germaniya».