Fraunhofer IZM has been awarded the coveted "Excellence in Vocational Training" seal by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin (CCI Berlin). The Institute not just passed all of the required standard criteria, but also excelled in the supplementary categories and excellence criteria – testimony to the Institute’s long-standing commitment to high-class vocational training and apprenticeships.

It has been 25 years since the first trainees joined the Institute’s Berlin site to start their education as microtechnologists or office management assistants, and every year sees a new group of motivated young people joining their ranks. With the increasing competition for talented professionals in the German labor market, the seal, awarded initially for a period of three years before it needs to be recertified, will be a great help in attracting more young talent to the Institute.

Receiving the seal meant fulfilling a battery of standards and quality criteria. Fraunhofer IZM excelled in particular in the many supplementary and excellence criteria. The Institute offers many career advice and discovery opportunities, such as the Girls’ Day or projects like the EnterTechnik job trial year for young women interested in a technology career. The trainees’ supervisors are given regular access to functional and teacher training courses, and additional training opportunities are provided for high achievers among the Institute’s trainees. In November, two assessors from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Berlin came to Fraunhofer IZM to get a comprehensive insight into the Institute’s work and the training it offers. Young trainees were also interviewed. Their feedback, according to the CCI Berlin, confirmed the „exceptional quality of vocational training in the organization.“

Stefan Ast is in charge of vocational training at the Institute. He is excited about winning the seal: „Few young people know that research institutes like Fraunhofer IZM do not just employ researchers, but also lots of qualified technicians and admin professionals. It is great for us to have the Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s seal helping us gain people’s attention for the dual training courses we are offering at the Institute – especially given today’s tight labor markets.

All of our training and recruitment work has always been – and still is – about getting young people excited about science, getting them truly integrated in our research work from the moment they start their vocational training, and later being able to offer them a future as highly trained technicians or admin professionals here at our Institute.“

Professor Martin Schneider Ramelow, who runs the Institute, is also proud of the achievement: „This calls for a celebration! I always knew that we are excellent, but it is great to have it officially confirmed.“