About us
Welcome to South Thuringia! On this page, we provide you with a general overview on the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts and its facilities as well as on our reference projects.
The South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts
As a self-governing body incorporated under public law, the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts („Handwerkskammer Südthüringen“) protects the political and economic interests of approximately 6,500 member companies, and provides support to workshops across the region with their all-encompassing spectrum of information, consultation and services. Moreover, the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts also runs the Rohr-Kloster Vocational Training and Technologies Center, an educational campus which ranks as one of the most innovative training centers for trades in Germany, offering a wide range of practical education and further education courses.
Board of directors
The board of directors is the central committee for the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts and is elected every five years from the ranks of the general meeting (plenary assembly). Specifically, the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts’s board is made up of the president, both vice presidents (representing the workers and the contractors respectively) and three additional members, one of which also represents the workers.
Plenary assembly
The plenary assembly of the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts is „The parliament of trade“, the highest echelon of the entire region of South Thuringia encompassed by the chamber. These positions are elected every five years by Chamber of skilled crafts members. Of the overall 24 members, 16 represent the interests of the contractors and 8 those of the workers.
Panels
The Chamber of skilled crafts has various fixed panels which are elected every five years by members of the plenary assembly:
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Vocational training board
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Accounting and audit committee
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Construction committee
The vocational training and technology center (BTZ) Rohr-Kloster
The vocational training and technology center (BTZ) Rohr-Kloster as an organizational component and educational service provider of the Chamber of Crafts South Thuringia is today one of the most modern and innovative vocational training centers for professional trades in Germany.
Equipped with state-of-the-art workshops and training classrooms, BTZ is an educational establishment affiliated to the South Thuringia Chamber of skilled crafts providing numerous opportunities for practice-oriented training and advanced training in a variety of trades.
BTZ Rohr-Kloster is certified by the German Association for Research and Certification of Quality Assurance Systems in Vocational Training (CERTQUA). As weil as an approved DVS-training centre, the complex also includes a Competence Centre for Metals and Manufacturing Technology and a SATA Competence Centre offering the latest painting technologies.
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Do you want to know more?
Have a look at our image brochure.
Reference projects
| Country | China / Changzhou |
| Main focus | Training conforming to the model of the dual system with practical segments at the Rohr Vocational Training and Technologies Center (BTZ) and one year’s training in a German specialist company |
| Cooperation | Jiangsu Changzhou City, Changzhou Technician College, SHB |
| Course duration | 2018 – 2023 (6 years) |
| Target group | Apprentices from the Changzhou Technician College |
| Project description | This project centers around dual training as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician and totals an overall duration of 6 years training. During this period, our trainees will also spend 2 weeks of every semester visiting our Chinese partner. The final year of training takes place in Germany. All final exams are also taken here and the participants thereupon receive a graduation certificate based on the German qualification as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician. This project is supported by the SBH (German foundation for promoting education in trades). Participants are mentored both technically and organizationally at all times throughout their time in attendance at the BTZ and at the respective specialist trade companies. Board and lodgings are provided as required with facilities on the campus. The residency in Germany also includes a culture program with excursions to visit companies and other points of interest. |
| Country | China |
| Main focus | Specialized practical qualification for motor vehicles |
| Cooperation partner | Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung |
| Course duration | 12/03/2018 – 20/04/2018 (6 weeks) |
| Target group | Chinese motor vehicle experts |
| Project description | Qualification of 9 Chinese motor vehicle specialist personnel over a six-week period, spanning three modules in collaboration with the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung. Upon conclusion of this advanced training, the participants received a certificate from the South Thuringia Vocational Training Center, attesting the successfully completed content. The Chinese participants received both technical and organizational mentoring throughout. Our halls of residence are situated directly on campus and were available for use by the participants. All meals were provided by the campus’s own canteen, however, kitchen facilities in the apartments also allowed the option of cooking meals themselves. Simultaneous interpreters were on hand for the group the entire time to relay the subject matter. In addition to the technical content, a cultural program was also available to the participants on weekends as required (excursions, communal bowling evenings, bike rental, fitness studios) |
| Country | Poland |
| Main focus | Work placement in vocational school as a technician performing hairdressing services |
| Contractor | Ostrow business service school |
| Course duration | 01/04/2019 – 12/04/2019 |
| Target group | Apprentices in the specialist field of hairdressing and two accompanying instructors from the Polish institution |
| Project description | The objective of this placement was to convey practical and theoretical skills in the hairdressing trade to participants by way of face-to-face tuition. The participants were assessed for their level of knowledge. The instructors were tested individually with regards to their abilities in order that they could be developed further over the course of the placement. Special emphasis was placed on the acquisition of soft skills during the work experience. This included teaching units such as professional consultation and formal customer communication. A hairdressing practice head for men’s and women’s hairstyles was made available to every participant throughout the duration of the placement, providing the opportunity to hone their cutting and colouring skills. The participants received both technical and organizational mentoring throughout and were provided with residential quarters on campus and a canteen for board and lodging. They were also offered the opportunity to join in cultural activities on weekends in order to better familiarize themselves with their host country and its people. |
| Countries | Poland, Italy |
| Main focus | Dual training of youngsters from EU member countries to safeguard the continuation of young skilled workers in the South/West Thuringia region |
| Cooperation partner | German Federal Employment Agency |
| Course duration | Block 1: 2015 -2019 Block 2: 2016 -2020 |
| Target group | Unemployed youngsters from EU member countries |
| Project description | This project provided a preparatory language course in the respective home countries of Polish and Italian students contemplating enrollment in our vocational training. This would ensure a smooth transition into the course being conducted in German. Professional support with close-knit communication was provided throughout the duration of the course to project participants by the South Thuringia Chamber of Trade, with a particular emphasis on the development of social skills. The companies involved were also supported on an organizational basis. Company sponsors in the training companies, a social worker and a special ‘learning day’ which took place once every month at the Rohr-Kloster BTZ educational campus were instrumental in integration into German social life and formation of a personal network. |
| Country | China |
| Main focus | Performance comparisons between German and Chinese motor vehicle technicians |
| Cooperation partner | RKWC GmbH |
| Course duration | 29/10/2018 – 03/11/2018 |
| Target group | German and Chinese motor vehicle technicians |
| Project description | Twenty four Chinese and eighteen German motor vehicle technicians took part in this competition. Following an initial introductory round, the participants were informed of the dual system in Germany and were then presented with the very latest technical developments within the motor vehicle sector. Next came an organizational introduction to the performance comparison and the actual preparations for the competition. The performance comparison was made up of one theoretical and one practical segment, each to be solved by 12 Chinese participants in competition against 12 German participants. Part of this event was a comprehensive cultural framework and accompanying program for the Chinese guests. All participants were accommodated in a hotel situated directly opposite the campus, with full board also provided upon request. Organizational and professional mentoring of the participants was provided exclusively by employees of the Rohr-Kloster educational campus. |