Further Training and Career After the Gesellenprüfung

🌐 Machine-translated page. The German version is authoritative.

After the Gesellenbrief

Once you have passed your Gesellenprüfung (journeyman examination), you are a Elektroniker/-in Fachrichtung Energie- und Gebäudetechnik (electronics technician for energy and building technology) and at Level 4 in the Deutscher Qualifikationsrahmen (DQR) (German Qualifications Framework). From here, three major paths lead onward: Meister, Techniker or Studium (university studies). All three are possible without the Abitur – that is the strength of the German system.

Path	Qualification	DQR	Typical Duration	What It Gets You
Meisterprüfung	Elektrotechnikermeister/-in, plus „Bachelor Professional in Elektrotechnik”	6	1 year full-time or approx. 2 years part-time alongside work	Found and run your own business, train Azubis, entry in the Installateurverzeichnis
Fachschule	Staatlich geprüfte/-r Techniker/-in Elektrotechnik	6	2 years full-time or 4 years part-time	Planning, project management, site management, industry
Studium	Bachelor of Engineering (Elektrotechnik, Gebäudetechnik)	6	3–3½ years	Development, planning office, engineering career

Meister, Techniker and Bachelor all sit at DQR Level 6. That means gleichwertig (equivalent), not identical: the Meister is the practitioner and entrepreneur, the Techniker the planner, the engineer the developer.

The Meister

The Meisterprüfung (master craftsman examination) is governed by § 45 of the Handwerksordnung (HwO) (Trade and Crafts Code). It has four parts:

Part I – Fachpraxis (practical skills): a Meisterprüfungsprojekt (master project, for example planning and executing a complete building installation) with a technical discussion and a situational task.
Part II – Fachtheorie (theory): Elektrotechnik, Anlagen- und Systemtechnik, Auftragsabwicklung, Betriebsführung.
Part III – Betriebswirtschaft, Kaufmännisches und Recht (business administration, commercial matters and law).
Part IV – Berufs- und Arbeitspädagogik (vocational and work pedagogy, i.e. trainer aptitude, AEVO).

Anyone who has passed the Gesellenprüfung in the Elektrotechniker-Handwerk is admitted; there has been no waiting period since 2004. If you pass the exam, you may additionally call yourself „Bachelor Professional in Elektrotechnik” (§ 51 Abs. 2 HwO) – not an academic degree, but the official classification at Bachelor level.

Why the Meister is especially important in the Elektrohandwerk: The Elektrotechniker-Handwerk is zulassungspflichtig (subject to mandatory registration, Anlage A HwO). Anyone who wants to run an electrical business independently needs the Meister or an equivalent qualification. And only a registered business may work on the Hausanschluss (house connection) and on the Zähler (meter) (§ 13 NAV, Installateurverzeichnis of the grid operator).

Preparation costs money (courses, exam fees, materials). The Aufstiegs-BAföG (AFBG) funds Meister and Techniker courses with a grant and a loan; after passing the exam, part of the loan is forgiven. The responsible authority in your Bundesland (federal state) provides information.

The Staatlich geprüfter Techniker

The Fachschule für Technik (technical school, specializing in Elektrotechnik, often with a focus on Energie- und Gebäudetechnik or automation) teaches in two years of full-time study (or four years part-time alongside work) what the Ausbildung (apprenticeship) covers only briefly: planning, calculation, project management, standards in depth. The requirement is the Gesellenbrief (journeyman certificate) plus, as a rule, one year of work experience.

With the Techniker qualification, you also receive the Fachhochschulreife (university of applied sciences entrance qualification) in most Bundesländer. Techniker work in planning offices, in site management, in industry, at grid operators – and usually earn significantly more than Gesellen.

Studium Without the Abitur

Since the KMK resolution of 6 March 2009, the following applies nationwide:

Meister and Techniker have the allgemeine Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (general higher education entrance qualification) – they may study any subject at any university.
Gesellen with at least three years of work experience receive a fachgebundene Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification) for a subject that matches their profession (for example Elektrotechnik, Gebäudetechnik) – usually after an aptitude interview or an examination.

Popular degree programs after the Ausbildung: Elektrotechnik, Energie- und Gebäudetechnik, Gebäudeautomation, Regenerative Energien. Many universities offer them part-time alongside work or as dual programs.

Specializations Without a New Qualification

Not everyone wants to become a Meister. In the Elektrohandwerk there are in-demand specializations that run through manufacturer courses or certificates:

Photovoltaik und Speicher (photovoltaics and battery storage) – planning, installation, grid connection, registration with the Netzbetreiber (grid operator).
Ladeinfrastruktur (Wallbox, Ladeparks) (charging infrastructure) – load management, billing, grid registration.
Gebäudeautomation (KNX-Partner, Smart Home) (building automation) – certification by the KNX Association.
Prüfen ortsveränderlicher und ortsfester Anlagen (testing portable and fixed installations) – DGUV Vorschrift 3, DIN VDE 0701/0702, as a „verantwortliche Elektrofachkraft” (responsible electrical specialist).
Wärmepumpe und Sektorkopplung (heat pump and sector coupling) – working together with SHK-Betrieben (plumbing and HVAC companies).
Brandmelde- und Sicherheitstechnik (fire alarm and security technology) – Fachkraft according to DIN 14675.

Every one of these directions is in such demand today that companies usually pay for the training.

How to Decide

You want your own jobs, your own business, responsibility for people? → Meister.
You want to plan and calculate, less construction site, more office? → Techniker.
You want to develop, do research, go into industry or an engineering office? → Studium.
You want to earn money first and get really good? → two to three years as a Geselle, then a specialization. Many Meister started exactly like that.

No path is final. Techniker later do the Meister, Meister study part-time alongside work. The Gesellenbrief is the key – the rest is time and willpower.

Test Yourself

🧠 Test yourself

1. At which DQR level is the Meisterprüfung in the Elektrotechniker-Handwerk?

2. How many parts does the Meisterprüfung under § 45 HwO consist of?

3. Which title may a Handwerksmeister additionally use?

4. May a Geselle study without the Abitur?

5. Why is the Meister required in the Elektrohandwerk for going independent?