The journeyman's exam as a surface treatment worker — how you prepare
From last school period to journeyman certificate in hand
After typically two and a half to three and a half years of alternating school and practice, you finally face the journeyman exam — the final and decisive step before you can call yourself a skilled surface treatment technician.
§Two specialties one journeyman certificate
The surface finisher training has two specialties: industrial lacquering and constructions. The journeyman's examination is adapted to the specialty you have chosen but is based on the same basic competencies in pre-treatment application quality control and safety regardless of which path you have followed.
§What does the journeyman exam consist of?
The core of the apprentice exam is a practical journeyman's work where you solve a defined task within a set time. The work is typically assessed by two master craftsmen/censors appointed by the professional committee for the program, together with a teacher from the school.
§You are judged on it
- 01Quality of pretreatment — is the surface cleaned and prepared correctly?
- 02Selection and application of the right coating for the job
- 03Layer thickness, finish and the finished result's appearance
- 04Safety and order in the workplace during work
- 05The ability to document your own work
- 06Compliance with the allocated time
§How you help a person with post-traumatic stress
- 01Practice on previous task types so the workflow is ingrained
- 02Know your equipment by heart so you don't spend time troubleshooting during the actual test
- 03Use the same checklists you already know from practice — for pre-treatment, spraying and inspection
- 04Ask your training manager to simulate the exam situation, including time pressure
With the journeyman's certificate in hand you are a skilled surface treatment worker and can seek jobs in industrial paint shops on shipyards in the steel construction industry or in the wind turbine industry. From here you can with experience specialise further become crew foreman or further educate yourself — but first the journeyman's piece must be completed.