Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin Schwerpunkt Trockenbauarbeiten

Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen (interior finishing specialists) with a focus on Trockenbauarbeiten (drywall construction) receive their Ausbildung (vocational training) in a dual system. Learning locations are the Ausbildungsbetrieb (training company) (typically interior finishing companies in the drywall sector): construction sites, and the Berufsschule (vocational school): classrooms. Additionally, parts of the training must be completed in überbetriebliche Ausbildungsstätten (inter-company training centers). Note: Berufsschule classes are partly conducted in cross-state Fachklassen (specialized classes). Currently: for the Bundesländer (federal states) of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein in Hamburg: Berufliche Schule Bautechnik (BS 08); for the Bundesländer of Baden-Württemberg, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Saarland in Gelsenkirchen (Nordrhein-Westfalen): Hans-Schwier-Berufskolleg. Source: Overview of Cross-State Specialized Classes (As of: 27.03.2025).

Ausbildung (vocational training) in the construction industry is being modernized. The training in the 19 recognized vocational training occupations in the construction industry is being modernized and adapted both in terms of content and structure. Technical progress and, in particular, the increased requirements for environmental and consumer protection, e.g., regarding energy saving and avoidance of CO2 emissions, necessitate a reorganization of the Ausbildung. Both in new construction and in building renovation, the requirements for occupations in the construction trade have changed: for example, buildings are becoming increasingly smarter, and technical systems, tools, and machines are increasingly networked. The effects of new technologies and procedures, as well as digitalization, on activities in the construction industry are taken into account in the new Ausbildungsordnung (training regulation), as is the topic of sustainability. The current legal basis for all 19 construction occupations is the 'Regulation on Vocational Training in the Construction Industry'. In the future...

Occupation Type: A recognized Ausbildung (vocational training) occupation. Type of Training: Dual Ausbildung (dual vocational training) in industry and crafts (regulated by Ausbildungsverordnung (training regulation)). Training Duration: 2 years. Learning Locations: Ausbildungsbetrieb (training company) and Berufsschule (vocational school) (dual Ausbildung). What does one do in this profession? Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen (interior finishing specialists) with a focus on Trockenbauarbeiten (drywall construction) construct lightweight walls and clad walls and ceilings, especially with plasterboard and gypsum fiberboards or system building materials. They inspect the substrate, install substructures, and incorporate insulation materials. For partition walls, they clad a framework of wood or metal profiles with gypsum wallboards. They suspend ceilings or renovate wall surfaces with dry plaster. They level uneven floors with dry screed. They also install casings for pipes or cables and seal building components against moisture. Furthermore, they undertake necessary rework. They can work in new construction or renovation. Where does one work? These professionals...

Job Title: Ausbaufacharbeiter/in mit dem Schwerpunkt Trockenbauarbeiten (Interior finishing specialist with a focus on drywall construction). What does one do in this profession? Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen (interior finishing specialists) with a focus on Trockenbauarbeiten (drywall construction) construct lightweight walls and clad walls and ceilings, especially with plasterboard and gypsum fiberboards or system building materials. They inspect the substrate, install substructures, and incorporate insulation materials. For partition walls, they clad a framework of wood or metal profiles with gypsum wallboards. They suspend ceilings or renovate wall surfaces with dry plaster. They level uneven floors with dry screed. They also install casings for pipes or cables and seal building components against moisture. Furthermore, they undertake necessary rework. They can work in new construction or renovation. Where does one work? Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen (interior finishing specialists) with a focus on Trockenbauarbeiten (drywall construction) find employment with construction companies specializing in interior finishing, particularly drywall construction.

2 years

The Ausbildung (vocational training) is carried out in parallel in the Ausbildungsbetrieb (training company) and the Berufsschule (vocational school). Berufsschule classes take place on specific weekdays or in block form. Excerpt from the training framework plan and the framework curriculum: 1st Training Year: Training in the company and in überbetriebliche Lehrgänge (inter-company courses): Order acceptance, performance recording, work plan and process plan; setting up, securing, and clearing construction sites; checking, storing, and selecting building and auxiliary building materials; reading and applying drawings, making sketches; carrying out measurements; processing wood and manufacturing wooden components; manufacturing components from concrete and reinforced concrete; manufacturing building structures from stones; installing insulation materials for thermal, cold, sound, and fire protection; manufacturing plaster and stucco; manufacturing screeds; setting and laying tiles and slabs; manufacturing components in Trockenbau (drywall construction). Training in the Berufsschule in the learning fields: Setting up a construction site; developing and...

No costs are incurred for the Ausbildung (vocational training). The training company provides the necessary training materials for the practical part of the training and pays the examination fees. Unless otherwise regulated, trainees must bear the costs for learning materials for Berufsschule (vocational school) classes and for work clothing themselves. Additionally, costs may arise if training facilities are far from home. In certain life situations, trainees may receive Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (vocational training allowance).

In the training company, trainees learn, for example: what to consider when accepting orders and how to apply building regulations; how to set up and secure construction sites and how to erect scaffolding; how to select, inspect, and store building and auxiliary materials, prefabricated parts, tools, and machines; what to consider when reading drawings and sketches and how to create measurement sketches and laying plans; how to check subsurfaces for adhesion, load-bearing capacity, flatness, and moisture; how to construct walls from gypsum wall panels and create corners, wall, floor, and ceiling connections; how to install suspended ceilings and ceiling linings as well as curtain walls made of different materials and systems; how to clad walls with dry plaster and mount prefabricated parts such as dry stucco profiles; what to consider when selecting and installing insulation materials; how to create openings for sanitary, electrical, heating, and air conditioning installations and prepare connections.

One should be prepared for the following conditions and requirements: In the company, practical work (under supervision) such as cladding surfaces with dry plaster, installing insulation materials, closing joints. The environment includes changing construction sites, cold, heat, and drafts in shell constructions, construction dust, and noise. Protective clothing (e.g., helmet, gloves, safety shoes, hearing protection if necessary) is worn. Requirements include manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination (e.g., when assembling gypsum wall panels, when spackling joints), care and prudence (e.g., when taking measurements, when working on ladders and scaffolding), good physical constitution (e.g., when lifting and carrying building materials). At the Berufsschule (vocational school), classes are held one or two days per week or as block instruction.

Trainees can complete parts of their Ausbildung (vocational training) abroad, for example, in various European countries. This can be an internship abroad as part of the additional qualification 'Europaassistent/in', lasting at least 3 weeks. A secondary school leaving certificate (mittlerer Bildungsabschluss) is a prerequisite.

The training allowance for a dual Ausbildung (vocational training) is paid by the training company and, for companies bound by collective agreements, is based on those agreements. Trainees are to be granted an appropriate remuneration. If the training takes place in a school-based form (e.g., at a Berufsfachschule or in the 1st year of training as a Berufsgrundbildungsjahr BGJ), no training allowance is paid. For example, in the construction industry in the new Bundesländer (federal states) - excluding Berlin (monthly gross): 1st year of training: 1,122 €, 2nd year of training: 1,351 €. Example for the construction industry in the old Bundesländer (federal states) - excluding Berlin (monthly gross): 1st year of training: 1,122 €, 2nd year of training: 1,351 €. Example for the construction industry in Berlin (monthly gross): 1st year of training: 1,122 €, 2nd year of training: 1,351 €. These figures are for orientation; no claims can be derived from them.

In-depth knowledge in the following school subjects provides good prerequisites for a successful Ausbildung (vocational training): Mathematics: Prospective Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen with a focus on drywall work must, for example, calculate areas and material requirements. Good knowledge of mathematics is therefore required. Manual Arts/Technology: Since future Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen with a focus on drywall work use construction machines, equipment, and tools, skills in technical manual arts are useful. Those with knowledge of technical drawing have an advantage when reading and creating sketches and laying plans. Physics: Knowledge of physics is helpful for understanding building material properties.

The additional qualification "Europe Assistant" is aimed at apprentices with at least a secondary school leaving certificate. It expands the initial vocational training with intercultural competencies and offers apprentices the opportunity to improve their foreign language skills. For this, apprentices attend additional vocational school (Berufsschule) classes, for example, in European Commercial and Economic Law, and complete a multi-week internship abroad. The responsible chamber (Kammer) provides further information.

The following vocational training (Ausbildung) alternatives are available for the profession of Construction Specialist with a focus on Drywall Work: Construction Sector: Drywall Installer, Construction Specialist with a focus on Thermal, Cold, and Sound Insulation Work, Thermal, Cold, and and Sound Insulation Specialist, Construction Specialist with a focus on Stucco Work, Stucco Plasterer, Construction Specialist with a focus on Tile, Slab, and Mosaic Work, Tile, Slab, and Mosaic Layer, Construction Specialist with a focus on Screed Work, Screed Layer, Construction Specialist with a focus on Carpentry Work, Carpenter, Specialist for Wood and Building Protection Work, Insulation Specialist, Painter and Varnisher specializing in Interior Finishing and Surface Design, Painter and Varnisher.

In 1974, the Ordinance on Vocational Training in the Construction Industry came into force. The profession of Construction Specialist was recognized with seven specializations: concrete and terrazzo work, screed work, tile, slab, and mosaic work, insulation work, stucco work, drywall work, and carpentry work in the craft and industrial training sectors. In 1999, vocational training in the construction industry was reorganized. The profession of Construction Specialist was trained in six specializations: screed work, tile, slab, and mosaic work, stucco work, drywall work, thermal, cold, and sound insulation work, and carpentry work. Training content was modernized, for example, the use of new building and auxiliary materials, the use of equipment and machinery, and work in the areas of renovation and repair. In 2020, the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (HWO) were amended, introducing a minimum vocational training allowance.

Construction Specialist with a focus on Drywall Work is a recognized 2-year vocational training (Ausbildung) profession in industry and crafts.

Qualification Title: Construction Specialist.

Improve opportunities with additional qualifications: Future Construction Specialists with a focus on Drywall Work can gain a good starting position by acquiring additional qualifications during their vocational training (Ausbildung), for example, in European Commercial and Economic Law through the "Europe Assistant" qualification. Find suitable employment: After their training, Construction Specialists with a focus on Drywall Work are employed by construction companies, especially in drywall businesses. Secure employability: Through adaptive further training (Anpassungsweiterbildung), one can keep their specialized knowledge current, up-to-date, and expand it. The range of topics extends from drywall construction to building renovation. Advance professionally: After a successful final/journeyman's examination, Construction Specialists with a focus on Drywall Work can take further steps.

In 2024, there were 441 new Ausbildung (vocational training) students in the craft (Handwerk) sector. Of these, 40 percent had a Hauptschulabschluss (secondary school certificate) or a mittlerer Bildungsabschluss (intermediate school certificate). 12 percent held a Hochschulreife (higher education entrance qualification), and 5 percent did not have a Hauptschulabschluss. 7 percent of the students had completed a Berufsfachschule (vocational school) before starting their Ausbildung. In the industry and trade sector, there were 63 new Ausbildung students; 52 percent of them had a Hauptschulabschluss, and 33 percent had a mittlerer Bildungsabschluss.

Legal regulations and recommendations for the Ausbildung are set by the Ordinance on Vocational Training in the Construction Industry (BauWiAusbV) from June 2, 1999, and the Framework Curriculum for Vocational Training in the Construction Industry (Beschluss der Kultusministerkonferenz) from February 5, 1999.

Legally, no specific prior education is required for the Ausbildung.

After successfully passing the Abschluss-/Gesellenprüfung (final/journeyman's examination) in the profession of Ausbaufacharbeiter/in (Construction Specialist), the vocational training can potentially be continued in one of the following related professions: Trockenbaumonteur/in (Drywall Installer), Estrichleger/in (Screed Layer), Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaikleger/in (Tile, Slab, and Mosaic Layer), Stuckateur/in (Plasterer), Wärme-, Kälte- und Schallschutzisolierer/in (Thermal, Cold, and Sound Insulation Installer), and Zimmerer/Zimmerin (Carpenter).