A working life is long and very few people want to do the same thing all their lives. Fortunately, there is a wide range of further education and training programmes for chemists, chemical technicians, laboratory technicians and CTAs. Without claiming to be exhaustive, you can find an overview of the programmes and funding options here.

Master of Business Administration

The MBA is a postgraduate degree programme designed to impart business knowledge and prepare students for leadership roles in management. The prerequisite for an MBA programme is usually a degree. An MBA programme can be completed both part-time and full-time. Interested parties should inform themselves well in advance about the many different programmes and weigh up whether the MBA will really help their planned career.

Patenting

In the patent system, scientific and legal knowledge are equally important. The multi-year training programme to become a patent attorney is regulated by law and includes working in a patent law firm, studying at the University of Hagen and training at the Patent Office and the Federal Patent Court. It concludes with an examination.

Quality assurance / quality management

Assuring the quality of products and processes is a core task of a chemical company. The German Society for Quality (DGQ), the Saarland University of Applied Sciences and other providers offer a variety of modular training courses, courses or certificate and part-time study programmes in the areas of quality management and quality assurance. The GDCh also offers additional training in the field of quality assurance with its specialist programme "Certified Quality Expert GxP".

Clinical Chemistry

Clinical chemistry deals with the analysis of physiological processes in the body. Chemists can train as clinical chemists through the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKI). The training programme lasts five years. At least four years of this must be completed in a clinical chemistry laboratory providing healthcare.

Toxicology

Scientists who have completed their training can acquire qualifications in toxicology in various ways. The Society for Toxicology (GT), the University of Leipzig and SafeSciMET offer various certificates or study programmes for further training as a toxicologist. Bachelor's graduates can also consider a Master's degree programme in toxicology, which is offered at various German universities.

Ecotoxicology

Ecotoxicology deals with the effects of substances on the environment. The GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology and SETAC-GLB jointly offer a postgraduate programme in ecotoxicology leading to the qualification "Specialist Ecotoxicologist (GDCh/SETAC-GLB)".

www.fachoekotoxikologie.de

Economic Chemistry

An understanding of business contexts is particularly beneficial for chemists working in industry. In addition to various training courses, some universities offer a degree programme in business chemistry. The GDCh also offers further training to become a business chemist.

www.gdch.de/fachprogramme

Further information on the listed training programmes can also be found in the GDCh brochure Berufseinstieg in der Chemie

Chemical technician (state-certified technician; specialising in chemical engineering)

This further education programme is offered at technical colleges and lasts two years or four years in the case of part-time training. In addition to chemical engineering, there are also other specialisations, such as production engineering. The prerequisite for these further training programmes is usually a completed apprenticeship as a laboratory technician, chemical technician or CTA. The training programme concludes with a state examination.

Laboratory technician (IHK)

Further training to become a laboratory technician is offered in some regions of Germany and is usually carried out by the local Chamber of Industry and Commerce in cooperation with a local company.

This further training is primarily of interest to employees of the cooperating companies, because the further training qualifies them for tasks specifically in these companies.

Industrial foreman:in chemistry

In addition to the chemical industry, industrial foremen in chemistry work in all manufacturing sectors. They work in production and are involved in training young colleagues. Further training is organised by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce as well as training providers, and in some cases by the companies themselves. The examination is always taken at the IHK. Further training is possible full-time or part-time.

Readiness for university entrance or general higher education entrance qualification

At some chemistry schools, students also acquire the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences or the general higher education entrance qualification at the same time as their CTA training. Sometimes it is also offered as a one-year additional training course afterwards.
For those who have not taken advantage of this option, there is also the possibility of acquiring the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences after the training in parallel with the further training.
With the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences or the general higher education entrance qualification, you can study at a university of applied sciences or university. Information on studying at universities of applied sciences (HAW) can be found on the website "Studying chemistry".

Technical business economist

If you have already successfully completed further training to become an industrial foreman and have gained professional experience, you can train to become a technical business administrator and thus take on management tasks. The focus of the further training is on business management. The training and examination are not standardised nationwide and are offered by technical colleges, chambers of industry and commerce and educational institutions. The technical business administrator is often also referred to as a "Master Professional (CCI)" (not to be confused with the Master's degree from universities).

Further information on further training in chemistry: www.berufskompass-chemie.de

Dual study programme

Training-integrated dual study programme: In addition to the IHK training occupation, a university degree is acquired at the same time.
Practice-integrated dual study programme: The study programme includes longer practical phases in the company without acquiring a training occupation. The prerequisite is a technical or general higher education entrance qualification.

Further information on the training programmes presented here can also be found in the GDCh brochure Professional prospects in chemistry

Even if further training is worthwhile, it is expensive. However, you can get grants for many further training courses. It therefore makes sense to find out about funding opportunities in advance:

Professional advancement scholarship for experienced professionals

The advancement scholarship is a study grant from the federal government and is aimed at professionals with vocational training and at least two years of professional experience. Applications can be submitted before the start of a degree programme and up to the end of the second semester.

Chemical laboratory technicians, CTAs and chemical technicians who would like to continue their education can also receive financial support from the Advancement Grant (Aufstiegs-Bafög). The advancement grant is available for advanced vocational training, for example to become a chemical technician.

Education voucher

The Federal Employment Agency uses the education voucher to promote further vocational training for unemployed people, employees and people returning to work. The voucher is issued if the relevant employment agency deems further training to be necessary.

The scholarship programme is aimed at young employees, the self-employed and first-year students who have completed vocational training and have worked at least 19 hours a week for at least two years since completing their vocational training. The scholarship is available for specialised vocational training. However, interdisciplinary qualifications such as language or software courses are also subsidised. Part-time study is also eligible for funding.

Support from the federal states

Many federal states have special funding programmes for further education. Anyone wishing to receive financial support from the state must live or work there.

Support from the boss

Because not only employees, but often also the employer benefits from professional development, many employers support such projects individually or by authorising educational leave. It is therefore worth asking the employer about covering the (partial) costs or financing, for example.

There are also other ways in which the employee who is willing to undertake further training can be supported, for example through flexible working hours or time off work during examination phases.

But be careful: the employer is not always enthusiastic about the planned further training, because it costs the employee time and energy that is lacking in everyday working life. Explain to your boss what motivates you to undertake this further training and how your company can also benefit from it.

In the majority of federal states (www.iwwb.de/links/bildungsurlaub), employees are entitled to up to 5 days of educational leave, for which the employer must provide paid leave. The employee must bear the costs of the course itself. The prerequisite for educational leave is that it is for professional or political training.

If you are afraid of the high costs because you are booking further education at your own expense, you should definitely submit a tax return. If the focus is on professional interests, tax can be saved on many courses, including training courses or study and language trips. Travel expenses are also recognised here. Employees can secure the tax advantage by entering the training costs in Annex N of their tax return. For the self-employed, further training constitutes business expenses, for which different rules apply.

Further information on the financing options presented here can be found in a special from the Stiftung Warentest.

Go to the GDCh's extensive training programme here.