Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin Schwerpunkt Zimmerarbeiten

Interior construction workers specializing in carpentry work are trained in the dual system. Learning locations include the training company (usually interior construction companies, especially carpentry workshops): construction sites, workshops, production halls, and the Berufsschule (vocational school): classrooms. In addition, parts of the training must be completed in inter-company training centers.

Training in the construction industry is being modernized. The training in the 19 recognized occupations in the construction industry is being updated both in terms of content and structure. Technical progress and, in particular, increased requirements for environmental and consumer protection, such as energy saving and the avoidance of CO2 emissions, necessitate a reorganization of the training. Both in new construction and in the renovation of existing buildings, the requirements for occupations in the construction industry have changed. For example, buildings are becoming increasingly smarter, and technical systems, tools, and machines are becoming more networked. The effects of new technologies and processes, as well as digitalization, on activities in the construction industry are taken into account in the new training regulations, as is the topic of sustainability. The current legal basis for all 19 construction occupations is the 'Ordinance on Vocational Training in the Construction Industry'.

Occupation type: Recognized training occupation. Type of training: Dual training in industry and crafts (regulated by training ordinance). Training duration: 2 years. Learning locations: Training company and Berufsschule (vocational school) (dual training). What does one do in this profession? Interior construction workers specializing in carpentry work produce wooden constructions, for example, for ceilings, roof trusses, half-timbering, and timber frame components. They process wooden beams and planks with sawing and planing machines, sometimes also by hand. On the construction site, they assemble the prepared components, install doors, gates, and wooden stairs, clad walls, produce drywall components and substructures, treat wooden surfaces, and, if necessary, apply insulation materials for thermal, sound, and fire protection. Furthermore, they carry out measurements – e.g., to check angles and inclination of roof beams – and, if necessary, undertake required rework. They can be active in new construction or renovation.

Job title: Interior construction worker specializing in carpentry work. What does one do in this profession? Interior construction workers specializing in carpentry work produce wooden constructions, for example, for ceilings, roof trusses, half-timbering, and timber frame components. They process wooden beams and planks with sawing and planing machines, sometimes also by hand. On the construction site, they assemble the prepared components, install doors, gates, and wooden stairs, clad walls, produce drywall components and substructures, treat wooden surfaces, and, if necessary, apply insulation materials for thermal, sound, and fire protection. Furthermore, they carry out measurements – e.g., to check angles and inclination of roof beams – and, if necessary, undertake required rework. They can be active in new construction or renovation. Where do they work? Interior construction workers specializing in carpentry work find employment in carpentry workshops, in engineering timber construction companies, and in stair construction companies.

2 years

The Ausbildung (vocational training) is carried out in parallel in the training company and in 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 year of Ausbildung: Training in the company and in 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 plasters and stucco. Manufacturing screeds. Setting and laying tiles and slabs. Manufacturing drywall components. Training in the Berufsschule in the learning fields: Setting up a construction site.

No costs are charged 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 of learning materials for vocational school lessons and work clothing themselves. In addition, costs may arise if training facilities are far from the place of residence. In certain life situations, trainees can receive Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (vocational training allowance). For more information: Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB).

In the training company, trainees learn, for example, what to consider when accepting orders and how to apply building regulations. They learn how to set up and secure construction sites and how to erect scaffolding. They learn how to select, inspect, and store construction and auxiliary building materials, prefabricated parts, tools, and machines. They learn what to consider when reading drawings and sketches and how to create measurement sketches. They learn how to saw, plane, and drill wood, and how to create wood joints. They learn how to erect wooden constructions for ceilings, roofs, half-timbering, and timber frame construction, and how to produce substructures, floors, and roof cornices. They learn to process, impregnate, glaze, and seal wood surfaces. They learn how to manufacture and install doors, gates, and stairs. They learn how to produce partition walls, suspended ceilings, ceiling and wall claddings, and how to install insulation materials. Furthermore, throughout the entire Ausbildung (vocational training), knowledge is acquired on topics such as rights and duties during training.

One should be prepared for the following conditions and requirements: In the company: Practical participation (under guidance): e.g., sawing wooden beams, assembling wooden components, treating wooden surfaces. Environment: changing construction sites, cold, heat, and drafts in shell constructions, construction dust, and construction noise. Clothing: protective clothing (e.g., helmet, gloves, safety shoes, hearing protection if necessary). Requirements: Manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination (e.g., when cutting wood to size, installing roof beams). Carefulness and prudence (e.g., when erecting roof trusses, working on ladders and scaffolding). Spatial imagination (e.g., when preparing the assembly of roof trusses). Good physical constitution (e.g., when lifting and carrying building materials). At the vocational school (Berufsschule): Classes one or two days a week or as block instruction.

Trainees can complete parts of their Ausbildung (vocational training) abroad. For example, an internship abroad can be done in various European countries as part of the additional qualification 'Europaassistent/in'. The duration is at least 3 weeks, and a secondary school leaving certificate (mittlerer Bildungsabschluss) is a prerequisite for access. Further information on the additional qualification 'Europaassistent/in' is available.

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 collective bargaining agreements. Trainees must be granted an appropriate remuneration. If the training takes place in a school setting (e.g., at a vocational school or as a Berufsgrundbildungsjahr (BGJ) in the 1st year of training), no training allowance is paid. Example for 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 - 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. Sources: Collective bargaining information from the federal government and the Bundesländer (e.g., Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, WSI-Tarifarchiv, collective bargaining archives of the Bundesländer). Note: This information is for orientation purposes. No claims can be derived from it.

In-depth knowledge in the following school subjects provides good prerequisites for successful Ausbildung (vocational training): Mathematics: Future Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen (interior finishing specialists) with a focus on carpentry work, for example, need to calculate workpiece dimensions and material requirements. Good knowledge of mathematics is therefore required. Manual Arts/Technology: Since future Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen with a focus on carpentry work use construction and machine tools, devices, and tools, skills in technical manual arts are useful. Those with knowledge of technical drawing have an advantage when reading and creating measurement sketches. Physics: Knowledge of physics is helpful for understanding the basics of building physics and structural statics.

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

The following Ausbildung (vocational training) alternatives are available for the profession of Ausbaufacharbeiter/in (Construction Specialist) with a focus on Zimmerarbeiten (Carpentry Work): Interior Finishing Area: Zimmerer/Zimmerin (Carpenter), Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin with a focus on Trockenbauarbeiten (Drywall Work), Trockenbaumonteur/Trockenbaumonteurin (Drywall Installer), Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin with a focus on Wärme-, Kälte- und Schallschutzarbeiten (Thermal, Cold, and Sound Insulation Work), Wärme-, Kälte- und Schallschutzisolierer/Wärme-, Kälte- und Schallschutzisoliererin (Thermal, Cold, and Sound Insulator), Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin with a focus on Estricharbeiten (Screed Work), Estrichleger/Estrichlegerin (Screed Layer), Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin with a focus on Stuckateurarbeiten (Plastering Work), Stuckateur/Stuckateurin (Plasterer), Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin with a focus on Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaikarbeiten (Tile, Slab, and Mosaic Work), Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaikleger/Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaiklegerin (Tile, Slab, and Mosaic Layer), Fachkraft für Holz- und Bautenschutzarbeiten (Specialist for Wood and Building Protection Work), Isolierfacharbeiter/Isolierfacharbeiterin (Insulation Specialist). Commonality: Performing interior finishing work or building protection work, processing comparable materials. Structural Engineering Area: H.

1974: The ordinance on vocational training in the construction industry came into force. Recognition of the profession Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin with the seven specializations: concrete stone and terrazzo work, screed work, tile, slab and mosaic work, insulation work, plastering work, drywall work, and carpentry work in the craft and industrial training sectors. 1999: Reorganization of vocational training in the construction industry. Training of the profession Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin in the six specializations: screed work, tile, slab and mosaic work, plastering work, drywall work, thermal, cold and sound insulation work, and carpentry work. Modernization of training content, e.g., use of new building and auxiliary building materials, use of equipment and machines, work in the area of renovation and repair. 2020: Amendment of the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (HWO): Introduction of a minimum training allowance, extended.

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

Qualification Title: Ausbaufacharbeiter/Ausbaufacharbeiterin (Construction Specialist)

Improving Opportunities with Additional Qualifications: Future Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen (Construction Specialists) with a focus on Zimmerarbeiten (Carpentry Work) can gain a good starting position by acquiring additional qualifications during their Ausbildung (vocational training), for example, in European Commercial and Economic Law through the "Europaassistent/in" (Europe Assistant) qualification. Finding the Right Employment: After their Ausbildung, Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen with a focus on Zimmerarbeiten work for construction companies in the interior finishing sector, particularly in carpentry firms. Securing Employability: Through adaptive further training, one can keep their specialist knowledge current, up-to-date, and expanded. The range of topics extends from carpentry to building renovation. Career Advancement: After successfully passing the final/journeyman's examination, Ausbaufacharbeiter/innen with a focus on Zimmerarbeiten can, under certain conditions, continue their Ausbildung for another year and, for example, take the examination as a Zimmerer/Z (Carpenter).

In 2024, there were 441 new apprentices in the skilled trades (Handwerk) sector. Of these, 40 percent had a Hauptschulabschluss (secondary school certificate) or a mittlerer Bildungsabschluss (intermediate school certificate). 12 percent had Hochschulreife (university entrance qualification), while 5 percent did not have a Hauptschulabschluss. 7 percent of new apprentices had completed a Berufsfachschule (vocational school) before starting their Ausbildung (vocational training). In the industry and trade sector, there were 63 new apprentices. 52 percent of these had a Hauptschulabschluss, and 33 percent had a mittlerer Bildungsabschluss. 10 percent had a university entrance qualification.

Legal regulations and recommendations for vocational training (Ausbildung) include: The Ordinance on Vocational Training in the Construction Industry (BauWiAusbV) from June 2, 1999 (BGBl. I p. 1102), last amended by Article 1 of the Ordinance from February 20, 2009 (BGBl. I p. 399). Also, the Framework Curriculum for Vocational Training Occupations in the Construction Industry (Resolution of the Kultusministerkonferenz from February 5, 1999).

Legally, no specific prior education is required for this vocational training (Ausbildung).

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