Plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology
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The profession of system mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology has existed in Germany under this name since 2003. The first system mechanics were trained in 2003. The apprenticeship as a system mechanic includes the job description of the gas and water fitter , the heating and ventilation engineer (also central heating and ventilation engineer), which now no longer exist in their original form. Instead, the jobs of plant mechanic were merged. Furthermore, components from solar technology and electrical engineering are added. In particular, electrical engineering is worth mentioning here, as the system mechanic, after successfully passing the final exam, is an electrician for specified activities , which affects the electrical circuit from the sub-distribution to, for example, a heating circuit pump.
The first system mechanics for SHK completed their training at the beginning of 2007.
education
The training as a system mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology usually lasts 3½ years and ends with the qualification as a journeyman if the training was carried out at a craft business. If the training takes place in an industrial company, the exam is taken at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry . The training is carried out according to the dual principle , i.e. in the training company and a state vocational school. The dual training in the skilled trades is supplemented by so-called inter-company courses, in which skills are imparted that are important for the job description but are no longer carried out in every company (e.g. welding). A shortening of the training by six months is possible provided that an appropriate grade point average and the consent of the training company are given.
On August 1, 2016, new, modernized training regulations for plant mechanics for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology (SHK) came into force. The subject of building management systems is new in the training framework. The implementation of hygiene measures in drinking water, industrial water and ventilation systems is also becoming more important. The training to become a qualified electrician for defined activities is also integrated into the vocational training. The new training regulations and the framework curriculum replace the regulations from 2003.
Young talent problems
Many companies, guilds and chambers of crafts have been seeing problems with young talent for a long time as a result of the shortage of skilled workers. The fact that the craft profession is becoming more and more complex due to growing demands such as energy saving and drinking water hygiene places certain demands on the trainees. Since more and more professions outside of the skilled trades are the first choice among school leavers, the chambers of skilled trades have recently been promoting the future of skilled crafts .
specialization
During the training (but usually at the beginning), the prospective plant mechanic specializes in one of the fields of activity:
- Water technology
- Thermal engineering
- Air conditioning
- Renewable energy / environmental technology
In addition to the basic knowledge that is imparted to all plant mechanics during their training, they receive special knowledge in the relevant field of activity. The final exams also differ slightly depending on the specialization. For example, a system mechanic with the field of heat engineering has to carry out a flue gas measurement on an oil boiler. A system mechanic for water technology, on the other hand, does a flue gas measurement at a gas boiler. Except for the different questions in the individual interviews, the rest of the practical exam does not differ Most of the time, a construction is to be made on a mounting wall that contains a gas boiler, hot water tank and smaller electrical installations.
retraining
Unemployed people with and without a vocational qualification as well as ALG I and ALG II recipients can retrain to become a SHK plant mechanic. The measure is funded by the Federal Employment Agency (education voucher). It usually lasts 24 months and ends with an examination at the Chamber of Crafts (HWK). There are several regional providers who offer such retraining, such as the Guild SHK Cologne, the IBB Institute for Vocational Education AG, the TÜV Nord or the TÜV Rheinland Akademie GmbH.
Merit
The earnings of the trained journeymen are regulated in collective agreements. These can vary depending on the federal state and contracting parties.
For the journeyman, the automatic wage increase ends when he reaches the 4th year of employment. A further increase in wages can now only be achieved by becoming a self-employed journeyman or customer service technician. In order to become a customer service fitter or senior fitter, however, further training is usually necessary.
In Switzerland, the average wage of a system mechanic in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning sector ranges between CHF 4,050 and CHF 4,650, depending on experience.
further education
A plant mechanic who has successfully passed the journeyman's examination has several options for further professional training:
Customer service technician / service technician
If he continues to strive for a purely practice-oriented activity, there is the possibility of further training as a customer service technician. This advanced training is offered by the chambers of crafts or the guilds and takes place alongside work. This training primarily enables the maintenance and repair of combustion systems as well as heat pumps and sanitary systems. Furthermore, value is placed here on dealing with the customer, as the customer service fitters are the figureheads of the company they work for. Part-time training usually means 240 hours of training via the Chamber of Crafts or guilds or their educational institution.
master
If a system mechanic-journeyman strives for a practically-theoretically oriented activity, it is advisable to take the master's examination ( installation and heating engineer ). Here he is imparted further theoretical and practical knowledge, is able to manage a company and train apprentices. Master classes are offered by the chambers of crafts, private educational institutions and state schools (mostly vocational colleges). It is possible to attend the master school part-time (approx. 2–3½ years) or full-time (approx. 1–2 years). The total number of hours is around 1270 hours, of which 700 hours are spent on the technical theoretical part. In Germany, the federal and state governments and other partners agreed in February 2012 to classify master craftsmen's certificates acquired from chambers of crafts, industry and commerce at level 6 of 8 within the framework of the creation of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). A master’s degree is on the same level as a bachelor’s degree (B.Eng., B.Sc.), As is the technician.
State certified technician
If the plant mechanic strives for a purely theoretically oriented activity, does not value the practical part of his job, i.e. the work on the construction site, or is no longer able to cope with it for health reasons, he has the option of becoming a state-certified technician for Further training for heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology to become a state-certified technician for sanitary technology or a state-certified technician for building system technology. With this training he leaves the path of practical work and specializes in planning, monitoring or sales tasks in his branch. Further training to become a state-certified technician is offered both part-time (approx. 4 years) and full-time (approx. 2 years). The technical school is mostly carried out at state vocational colleges with an affiliated vocational college, but there are also private organizations that run it. There is also the possibility of completing a distance learning course to become a state-certified technician.
The technician can also run a company under certain conditions (determined by the Chamber of Crafts). However, he lacks the commercial knowledge that he has to acquire in other ways. If a company run by a technician wishes to train apprentices, the operations manager must take an additional trainer aptitude test or appoint an employee who has this as a training officer. The scope of the training must be at least 2400 hours. Because of the number of hours of at least 2400 hours, the technician is classified between a master (approx. 700 hours of theory) and an engineer . For professions within the craft, the master craftsman is called the highest educational qualification according to the chambers of crafts.
Knowledge and skills
The system mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning technology is able to create sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems according to plan, and to maintain and repair the systems. For the creation of the systems, a specialist trained according to the job description has various joining and connection techniques available, such as welding, hard soldering, soft soldering (such as pressing). Knowledge of sheet metal processing is learned to some extent in vocational training.
In the field of maintenance and repair of sanitary, heating and air conditioning systems, a trained system mechanic normally only has basic knowledge, which must be adapted to the practice through further training before maintenance and repair work can really be carried out independently. In addition to the possibility of being trained by an experienced customer service technician in certain topics such as combustion technology or maintenance of ventilation systems after training, there is a lack of specialization through further training at the Chamber of Crafts, institutes such as the House of Crafts in Essen or at the to compensate for various manufacturers.
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- Lexicon of apprenticeships, (BERUF AKTUELL) edition 2008/2009, Federal Employment Agency
- Training regulations for the system mechanic SHK BIBB 2003
Web links
- Plant mechanic for sanitary, heating and air conditioning in Berufenet the Federal Employment Agency
- Job description and employment figures for plant mechanics
- Interactive job description at beroobi
- Information on the apprenticeship installation and building technician in the vocational lexicon of the Public Employment Service Austria (AMS)
- How do I become a plant mechanic?
- Information on the apprenticeship, application, career and salary
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Press release BIBB
- ↑ Training Regulations 2016
- ↑ Framework curriculum 2016
- ^ SHK guild Cologne
- ↑ IBB
- ↑ TÜV Nord ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ TÜV Rheinland
- ↑ HVAC wages . hlk-jobs.ch.
- ^ Training plan of the Zeppelin trade school in Konstanz
