The Vocational Training Institute of the Construction
Industry Association of Berlin-Brandenburg was founded on 30 November 1990
as a non-profit organisation. Its proclaimed goal is the advancement of vocational
education and training and also continuing education in the construction industry.
Since 2002 it has been certified according to DIN ISO 9001:2000.
The Vocational Training Institute operates apprentice training centres in
the federal state of Brandenburg for supplementary and external vocational
education and training, continuing education and retraining and engages in
numerous other educational activities.
The institute is a provider of educational services for the construction industry,
the building trades and the federal employment agency.
Thanks to generous subsidies from the German federal government and the federal
state of Brandenburg, it was possible to establish three new apprentice training
construction sites in Frankfurt (Oder) (1995), Brandenburg/Havel (1999) and
Cottbus (2001). Additionally, the apprentice training centres in Wriezen and
Friesack have been expanded. Existing facilities at other locations have also
been modernised at considerable cost.
The total investment amounted to approximately € 48 million. The Vocational
Training Institute maintains 2,400 apprenticeship places at present. Hostels
are provided as accommodation for students.
The apprentice training centres have developed into centres
of excellence. The main areas of focus for the individual locations are, inter
alia:
Brandenburg-Friesack foundation, trench and ground engineering; pipeline construction;
water-well construction; equipment, tool and machine operation
Frankfurt (Oder)-Wriezen restoration and monument conservation; timber construction;
concrete construction and restoration; building preservation
Cottbus sustainable (environmentally sound) construction
In particular, the following trades can be learned at
the Vocational Training Institute:
structural engineering; construction and conversion; civil engineering; masonry;
concrete and reinforced concrete construction; carpentry; plaster, tile, paving
and mosaic artistry; screed floor installation; dry wall assembly; road construction;
sewer construction; pipeline construction; water-well construction; foundation,
trench and ground engineering; painting and varnishing; architectural draughtsmanship;
cabinet making; road maintenance; office administration; construction equipment,
tool and machine operation; thermal and noise insulation engineering; home
economics.
In extended vocational training, courses are offered for those wishing to
train as an assistant foreman, foreman or master craftsman for trades in structural
engineering, construction and conversion as well as civil engineering. Additionally,
schemes for those wishing to train as a restorer in various sectors of the
construction industry are offered.
Continuing education courses are offered for managers and employees in the
technical and commercial sectors of the construction industry.
All apprentice training centres of the Vocational Training
Institute cooperate closely with industry, the relevant chambers of industry
and commerce, secondary school training centres, colleges and universities,
industrial associations as well as the relevant industry committees, municipal
and regional authorities, the federal employment agency, trainee organizations,
etc.
Tasks carried out jointly with our partners are set out in cooperation agreements.
The apprentice training centres work actively in both local and nationwide
networks.
The Vocational Training Institute maintains close contacts with the relevant ministries of the federal state of Brandenburg. Staff of the Vocational Training Institute also sit on the committees of the relevant federal ministries and federal industry associations.
All apprentice training centres serve as certified examination
locations for the chambers of industry and commerce for vocational education
and training and also for continuing education.
The Vocational Training Institute regularly involves its students and those
who have successfully completed its courses in vocational benchmark tests
in Brandenburg and nationwide. In recent years, former students have participated
and achieved some top and first places in the national benchmark tests of
the umbrella organization of the construction industry. In 2004, the annual
national benchmark tests were held at the apprentice training centre in Frankfurt
(Oder). Apprentices also regularly take part in European youth exchanges.
International guests from European, Asian and African
countries have also visited apprentice training centres of the Vocational
Training Institute for study purposes in the past few years.
The institute offers educational services for foreign experts and managers.
Educational experts as well as instructors of vocational theory and practice
from foreign countries (Central and Eastern Europe, China, Guinea, Ghana)
have studied here and acquired additional qualifications.
Employees of the Vocational Training Institute have also recently acted as
interim experts in, among other places, China, Russia and Latvia.
The Vocational Training Institute is currently collaborating on the development
of modern vocational training programmes for building trades in Madagascar
and Iran.
Over the past few years, the 330 full-time employees of the Vocational Training Institute have gained a great deal of experience in apprenticeship training, the pre-vocational education of socially disadvantaged young people and those with learning disabilities as well as in adult education and the training of foreign nationals.
Potsdam, May 2005