Print version Recommend this page Press release
27/ 2004
Bonn, 29.07.2004
Media designer for digital and print media
A new skilled occupation has proven itself in practice!
The occupational profile for the new occupation "media designer for digital and print media" went into effect on August 1, 1998 - and directly met needs existing "on the ground": A wealth of new training places for this occupation have been created in the first years after "media designer for digital and print media" became a recognized occupation!
Companies with very little or no experience in providing in-house vocational training - such as companies in the advertising and multimedia fields - could be persuaded to offer such training for the first time. It was also possible to further expand existing training capacity in the printing and publishing industry (which has considerable experience with in-house vocational training). Small and medium-sized enterprises were particularly enthusiastic: More than 75 percent of the companies providing training for this new occupation have fewer than 50 employees. Forty-four percent have even less than ten employees. The creation of this new occupation also fulfilled an important aim of efforts to reorganize existing skilled occupations: Namely, to create one new occupation out of five "old" occupations 01, a new occupation that would make it possible for a large number of firms to become involved in providing in-house vocational training or to increase the number of training places they already offer - regardless of the company's size, specialization, product range, technical equipment or organizational structure. The occupation "media designer for digital and print media" with its four fields of specialization (media consultant, media designer, media operator and media technician) does just that.
This is just one of the findings of an evaluation of this new skilled occupation which the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training ("BIBB") conducted between July 2000 and December 2003. This evaluation was conducted to determine the level of acceptance for this new occupation in practice in this field, review the substance of the new training regulations, and develop proposals for any improvements that might be deemed necessary.
Further findings of this study:
- This new occupation is particularly attractive to young people with a high level of general education - and is of great interest to girls. Half of the trainees in this occupation hold a general or subject-restricted secondary school leaving examination certificate which entitles them to study at university. More than 35 percent have completed the tenth grade. And girls account for more than 50 percent of the trainees.
- The distribution of new trainees between this occupation's four fields of specialization varied: Nearly three quarters opted to specialize as a "media designer", 20 percent chose "media operator" while "media consultant" and "media technician" were the fields of choice for three to five percent of new trainees respectively.There were also considerably fewer training places offered in these latter two fields of specialization. In the case of "media consultant", this was due to the uncertainty of many firms when it comes to providing joint instruction in technical, commercial or marketing-oriented subjects. In this connection, steps must be taken to increase these companies' training skills. One reason why the share of new trainees choosing to specialize as a "media technician" was so small is that the new "digital printing" process is growing only slowly - and there is (currently) little demand for the skilled workers this process requires.
- The structure and content of the training regulations for the occupation "media designer for digital and print media" met with considerable acceptance "on the ground". The structure was usually rated "understandable" and nearly two-thirds of the companies providing in-house vocational training reported that the curriculum reflected the requirements of actual occupational practice.Based on the findings of this study however, it is has been proposed to make the occupational profile for the "media designer" field distincter and more design-oriented. In the case of the "media operator" field, there should be greater emphasis on production - in other words, more attention should be given to the design-related technical realization of the customer's specifications. The introduction of new, elective training units such as "system support" and "international competency" has also been suggested.
- The new, flexible form of examination has also proven its worth. The scope allowed by the general wording of the new regulations was used to develop examination questions with a more practical focus. However, too little time is being allotted for the practical part of the final examination. Allowing more time was suggested.
- Media designers for digital and print media who successfully completed their training did not have to wait long for a job after passing their examination. They were either hired by the company that trained them, found a job in another company or started a company of their own.
The German-language report Evaluation Mediengestalter/in für Digital- und Printmedien. Ergebnisse und Ausblick ("Media designer for digital and print media - An evaluation. Results and outlook") by Heike Krämer details all the study's findings. Published by the Federal Institute for Vocational Training, this publication can be ordered for €14.90 from W. Bertelsmann Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Postfach 10 06 33, 33506 Bielefeld, Germany; Tel. + 49 521 - 9110 111, Fax: + 49 521 - 9110 119, E-mail: service@wbv.de
