From basic course to journeyman exam: the trade's specialties

Contracting and agricultural machinery education is not just one straight line from basic course to journeyman. The education is built up in tiers where you first become a material mechanic and then can specialize in one of several specializations. This gives you the opportunity to find the field that fits you best without having to choose everything in advance.

§Step 1: material mechanic

After the basic course the main course begins, which requires a training agreement with a restaurant, hotel, or other company in the industry. The main course spans approximately 3 years and 10 months and alternates between short school periods and longer practical periods in the company. The practical part makes up the vast majority of the main course, and this is where you really learn the trade under guidance from experienced colleagues, while school periods give you theory, system, and breadth that you can take back to practice.

§Step 2: trade specialties

If you want more, you can continue to level 2 and educate yourself in one of the trade's specialties. The common specialties are contractor machinery mechanic, agricultural machinery mechanic, personal lift mechanic, and agricultural blacksmith — as well as crane mechanic, which is completed without a formal level. Each specialty builds on the foundation from level 1 but goes in depth with that specific machine type: excavators and dozers for the contractor machinery mechanic, combine harvesters and field implements for the agricultural machinery mechanic, lifts and personnel lifters for the personal lift mechanic.

• 01Equipment mechanic (step 1): the broad basic education — common to all.
• 02Contracting equipment mechanic (tier 2): excavators, dozers, dumpers and construction equipment.
• 03Agricultural machinery mechanic (level 2): tractors, combine harvesters and field equipment.
• 04Personal lift mechanic (stage 2): lifts and personal lifting equipment.
• 05Agricultural smith (level 2): smithing and construction in connection with agricultural machinery.
• 06Crane mechanic: own specialisation without formal stage, directed towards cranes and lifting equipment.

§What does the journeyman test require?

The education ends with a journeyman test. Here you show what you have learned typically through a masterpiece or practical task representative of the trade. The journeyman test is assessed by master craftsmen — experienced professionals designated by the professional committee — and evaluated on a fixed scale where the result ranges from passed to excellent. It is not just the technical solution that counts: working process safety documentation and organisation are also part of the assessment.

§After the journeyman certificate

With the journeyman's certificate in hand you stand with a broad and sought-after education. Many continue in the trade as mechanics with a machinery dealer or specialised workshop while others over time move towards workshop manager or service manager roles. There are also ongoing courses and certifications — for example in diagnostic equipment air conditioning or specific machine makes — that keep your knowledge up to date as the technology in the machines evolves.

Regardless of which speciality you choose, the main course builds on the same basic course, and the main course for the four specialities typically stretches over around two years, mostly spent in the company. The most important thing you can do before signing the training agreement is to ask the training company directly which speciality they can actually train you in — because not all companies cover all five.