Further Training to Ceramic Engineer in Höhr-Grenzhausen

The State Technical College of Ceramics in Höhr-Grenzhausen offers an opportunity for vocational further training leading to a qualification as State-Certified Ceramic Engineer, as the college has informed us. The course offered is organized in modules. Self-contained topic-focussed study modules, each lasting around four weeks, enable students to focus on the key aspects of ceramics and the professional expertise ceramic engineers need to develop.

This vocational further training is therefore ideal for part-time study, that is career integrated study, so that prospective students do not have to give up their jobs. They only need to complete a self-planned number of modules per year. Students must be present at the college for a minimum of four weeks twice a year. The qualification as state-certified ceramic engineer can therefore be obtained in two years in full-time study or in up to five years in part-time study. Many companies are already taking on a considerable share of the time and financial commitment for this further training to reliably meet their own needs for skilled employees and to support employees with suitable aptitude from their own operations. The college can provide advice on relevant contractual provisions.

The full-time study option foresees completion after just two years of study. During this time, course participants are not generally employed by a company. Depending on their personal situation, support during the course may be available in the form of upgrading training assistance (www.aufstiegs-bafög.de).

Start after the summer vacation

During the course, the participants must complete certain mandatory modules and choose modules from various selections depending on their interests and study progress. Topics besides silicate ceramics include abrasives, refractories, technical ceramics and enamels. Irrespective of whether they are studying part-time or full-time, all course participants conclude their vocational course with a final project, which is usually undertaken in cooperation with a ceramics company. This underscores the closeness of the course and the entire college to the ceramics industry.

Current concepts emphasize individual learning with a high degree of self-responsibility and independence, promoting direct and close links to professional practice in the ceramics industry. The basis for this is provided by modern media and high-end laboratory and work equipment. Goal is the qualification of the students on Level 6 in compliance with DQR (German Qualifications Framework). To achieve suitable intermeshing of ceramic and professional expertise, study modules on management aspects, business administration, communications and working methods as well as English are also available. An instructor’s licence can also be obtained at our college.

Students can apply to the course providing they meet the following conditions: Either they have completed ceramic training and one year of professional experience or they have completed non-ceramic training and have two years of professional experience or they have no training and six years of professional experience, three of which in ceramics. For the part-time course, the professional experience must only be verified at the end of the course, that is working time between study modules will be taken into account.

A feature of living and learning at the college are small study groups and, associated with this, personal and intensive support by all the staff, says the college.