Regardless of whether it is part-time training, foreign languages ​​or soft skills: Further training is a good opportunity to increase your career opportunities and to have a better starting position in salary negotiations. We show the advantages of further training, explain the different types, give tips on financing and explain how you can optimally present the further training in the application.

For most people, work and the desire for self-fulfillment are inextricably linked. Sometimes, however, one’s own qualifications stand in the way, either because certain qualifications have not been acquired or certain skills have not yet been learned. In this case, further training can help.

What is further training?

“Whoever does what he can already do, always remains what he already is.” With the completion of vocational training or a degree, the way is paved for professional entry. However, learning is a lifelong process. Technical developments are advancing. Always new insights bring forth new practices. Perhaps the legislature will suddenly adopt the framework conditions that have been in place for decades. Progress certainly does not stop in your industry.

If you want to remain competitive, you have to familiarize yourself with innovations in your respective professional field and all that surrounds it. Further training should serve this purpose. As a rule, it takes up existing knowledge and supplements or deepens it. However, further training can also provide access to knowledge from areas that are previously unknown to you and additional professional qualifications.

Advantages of further training

Your own employer is not always the ideal contact to learn the necessary specialist knowledge from all areas. Rather, most companies concentrate on certain business areas. Knowledge gaps are practically inevitable.

Remaining in a company for life is rather untypical today. Therefore, especially employees who are still planning career advancement should consider the offer of further training. In further training measures, specialist knowledge is usually taught by competent trainers who have both the necessary resources and good didactic skills.
The often-cited “thinking outside the box” is usually much more than a hackneyed phrase. Last but not least, the exchange with others is hidden behind him. Further training creates professional contacts and enriches your level of knowledge with the experiences that colleagues, trainers or members of your seminar group share with you.

Further training increases career opportunities

In addition to personal development, the main thing that counts for you is of course the acquisition of additional qualifications through further training. Flexibility is required in many professions these days. This does not have to be limited to mobility or local flexibility. The willingness to deal with topics that do not actually affect your professional field can also be required. Further training can help you gain insights into other subject areas. This increases your added value for you personally, but above all for your company and on the job market.

What types of further training are there?

Further training is broadly based in practice. The measures range from one-day or multi-day workshops to (distance) courses that are designed for several years. The most common training opportunities are listed below:

Training near the job (in-house seminars)

The term training near the job describes in-house offers that make up the largest part of all measures. These include, for example, introductory seminars on how to use new software, security training or coaching for employees with personnel responsibility. Further training within the company has the advantage that the problems it contains are precisely tailored to the company.

Training on the job

In contrast to training near the job, training on the job does not take place in separate seminar rooms. Instead, the participants are introduced to the new workplace by a colleague, their supervisor or an external coach. The so-called learning tandem, in which an experienced employee and a career starter work very closely together, from which both usually benefit.

Training-on-the-job measures are often not large-scale further training measures. Rather, they arise in everyday working life.

Training off the job

Training off the job is used in personnel management to describe all further training offers at an external training provider. Above all, they are designed to focus on general issues that do not have to be directly related to the processes in your company. The on-the-job training conveys generally applicable solutions that are intended to sharpen the focus on the topic. The measures are particularly valuable when applying for a new job and give participants an advantage over their competitors.

Most of the time off-the-job training is aimed at acquiring an additional educational qualification or a certificate.

Distance learning and e-learning

Further education through distance learning courses should primarily appeal to those who cannot or do not want to attend courses at an educational institution due to lack of time. When it comes to remote offers, you largely decide for yourself about the time factor, but this also requires a certain amount of discipline.

The spectrum of distance learning is diverse and ranges from language or software courses to part-time distance learning courses with a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

In recent years, an advance in so-called e-learning can also be observed. E-learning can be understood as an electronic form of distance learning. If the necessary documents were previously sent to the participants by post, they can now increasingly fall back on digital storage media or internet sources, which significantly simplifies communication with the educational institution.

Part-time courses and study programs

In the case of part-time courses, educational institutions, for example, universities, offer seminars for further training alongside the job. This often involves activities outside the field, which can, however, play a role in the everyday work of the respective employee. For example, trained chemists could attend a seminar on statistical data analysis. IT courses for people from the business sector are also in demand.

The part-time course is intended to give employees the opportunity to gain an additional educational qualification, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree, in addition to their everyday work. The content hardly differs from full-time studies. However, the standard period of study is extended in order to be able to master the mastery of studies and work. Nevertheless, the part-time course requires a lot of perseverance and initiative. Most employers, however, are willing to accommodate the commitment of their employees and are happy to negotiate working hours and examinations, etc.

Further education with state-recognized professional qualifications

Private institutions, technical schools, as well as chambers of industry and commerce, offer employees courses to obtain state-recognized professional qualifications. In craft trades, these are known under the term “master school”. Corresponding preparatory courses for the final master craftsman’s examination are designed for two years and run alongside the job, without participation is mandatory. Those who work in the field of technology can obtain the status of state-certified technician, while in the field of business an additional qualification as a business economist is possible.

Further training abroad

Further training is also possible abroad. This is particularly useful if your company is globally active and has offices abroad or partners in other countries. First and foremost, working at other locations can be extremely beneficial for your language skills and provides an insight into the processes of companies in the same industry.

Difference between further training and further training

The terms advanced training and advanced training are often used synonymously in common parlance. Strictly speaking, however, this is not correct.
While further training can provide insight into other fields of activity, further training is much more narrowly defined. It specifically serves the qualification in the current job.

The aim of advanced training is to prepare you for new, upcoming tasks. Career advancement is often associated with it. The measure is usually financed by your employer, who has increased interest in your career.

Where can I do further training?

It can already be seen from the section above that there are many different institutions for continuing education. The first point of contact could be your own company. Medium-sized and large companies in particular usually offer many training courses and seminars that are tailored to the needs of your everyday work.

There are also a number of educational institutions. Depending on the area, chambers for industry and trade, technical schools and private institutions are suitable contacts for state-recognized degrees.

It is best to consult public and private universities for teaching academic knowledge and obtaining higher educational qualifications. The education of working people through evening courses and part-time seminars is now considered a second mainstay for many universities.