Further and continuing education on top of the journeyman certificate
From skilled to specialist technician or further education
One of the strengths of a vocational education is that it can both stand alone and be a step forward. As a plastic worker, you can continue to improve in the profession, or you can use your journeyman's certificate as a ticket to further education. The important thing is to know the ways exist — so you can choose for yourself.
§Specialist in plastic production
The most direct continuation is the specialist level within the qualification itself. It is a deepening on top of the plastics engineer qualification, where you become even sharper on production, quality and the more demanding parts of the trade. It is a natural next step if you want to be one of the people others ask for advice.
§AMU – courses while you work
When you are in a job you can take short AMU courses that update or expand your competencies – e.g. within new materials a specific machine type quality truck or working environment. AMU is designed to fit into working life: short courses often in cooperation with your workplace. It is the easiest way to stay professionally sharp.
§Short further education
With a relevant journeyman's certificate you can apply for short higher educations (business academy) typically lasting around two years. Several of them point directly into the production world.
- 01Production technologist – manufacturing, production and optimization
- 02Automation Technologist – Control and Automation of Production
- 03Energy technician – energy and technology in industry
§Machine master and professional bachelor — toward technology operations and management
If you want to go further, there are broader technical educations on top of a professional basis. Machine master is a broad technical education with focus on operations, technique and management. And with supplementation, the path can point toward engineer, e.g. with a focus on materials or production. These tracks often require extra subjects but your practical background is a strength many fellow students do not have.
§Towards planning, quality and management
Not everyone wants to continue on the school bench. Part of the career involves growing within the company: becoming a team leader, taking on quality responsibility, planning production or training newcomers. Here your professional weight is worth its weight in gold because you know how things actually work on the floor.
“A journeyman's certificate is not an endpoint. It is the platform you can choose to build on — in the trade in management or in further education. You decide how high you want to go.”