Ex-Serving soldier receives 100th professional recognition award by the German Chamber of Commerce
For the past three years, those who have qualifications from outside Germany or have learned a trade abroad have been able to apply to have their vocational qualifications professionally recognised in Germany. In a unique nationwide on-site model, the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK) in Braunschweig – the German equivalent of UK Chamber of Commerce - has professionally recognised foreign qualifications for more than 250 occupations - from office management to mechatronics.
In March 2015 the IHK President Dr. Wolf-Michael Schmid awarded the 100th recognition notice to native Brit Ian Wright, subsequently proving that his qualification BTEC Level 7 in Strategic Management, achieved from his WOs’ CLM, fully-satisfied the German apprenticeship regulations for accreditation as an Office Manager (Kaufmann fϋr Bϋromanagement).
The professional recognition procedure in German industry and trade usually takes up to three months. Ian told us that his only took one month. The ex-serving soldier and former tank commander had previously been made aware of the possibility whilst attending a CTP Industry Awareness Event at the resettlement centre in Herford, and explained: "When a soldier retires from the Army, it is invaluable to have civilian qualifications; my training was equivalent to the German Office Manager. The recognition process worked out great."