Print version Recommend this page Press release
37/ 2011
Bonn, 28.07.2011
From the drawing board to the CAD world - Launch of vocational training for new occupations in the technical design field
Today, the work of technical draftsmen is required anytime a new product - be it a hairdryer, automobile or machine tool 0 has to be conceived, designed or fabricated. However the good, old drawing board is a thing of the past. Instead, modern CAD (computer-aided design) technology and two-dimensional and three-dimensional design have been the standard for some time now. In response to technological and organisational changes in work flows and processes that must be taken into account in initial vocational training, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has developed in conjunction with experts from the social partners and representatives of Germany's states two new, highly-modern training occupations (occupations which require completion of formal vocational training) in the design field. The new training regulations for the occupations Technical Product Designer and Technical System Planner will go into effect on 1 August. They will supersede the 'old' training for the occupation Engineering Draftsman. Last year some 3,000 trainees signed new training contracts for initial vocational training in this field. Female trainees account for nearly 40% of this group.
Two new design occupations will step into the shoes, so to speak, of the occupation Engineering Draftsman. These new occupations are closely linked with one another because they share much of the same training content during the first year of training. Starting in the second year, different areas of specialisation are offered for each of the two occupations.
Technical product designers generate 3-D data sets and technical documentation for the manufacture of products. This is done with the help of computer-aided design programmes and according to design specifications and customer requirements:
- Persons with specialisation in product design and construction design, for example, consumer goods such as cars, vacuum sweepers and kitchen furniture with the help of CAD systems. Design aspects play a greater role in assignments. Jobs in this field are to be found in development and design departments at industrial enterprises, design offices, engineering offices (particularly in the automotive sector, furniture companies and the interior design field), and in the medical technology field and the consumer goods and packaging industries.
- Persons with specialisation in machinery and plant construction develop detailed construction and assembly plans with the help of CAD systems. Employment opportunities for this specialisation are to be found in development and design departments, particularly in the areas engineering and plant design, apparatus engineering, shipbuilding, automotive engineering, aircraft construction and the packaging industry.
The work of technical system planners revolves primarily around designing technical equipment for buildings and plants. Technical system planners also work with CAD programmes to develop the technical documents for manufacturing and assembling equipment and systems for building services. Technical system planners focus on different trades, depending on their field of specialisation.
The training for this occupation offers specialisation in supply and equipment technology, specialisation in steel and metal engineering technology and specialisation in electro technical systems. Technical system planners are needed in design, planning and engineering offices which deal with the manufacture, assembly and operation of building and plant services, steel, facade or metal construction technology or electrical installations.
Further information on this subject can be found on the BIBB website at www.bibb.de/neue-berufe-2011
Photos are available at www.bibb.de/pressefotos
Point of contact at BIBB:
Marlies Dorsch-Schweizer, E-mail: dorsch-schweizer@bibb.de
Reprint free of charge. Voucher copy requested.
