Administrative services A-Z

• Form: "Application for Retraining Examination" required; Application for "Company Assignment", "Report", "Project Work", and "Professional Task" required, if applicable.
• If applicable, form: "Application for disadvantage compensation" necessary
• Online procedure possible: partially
• Written form required: yes

Personal appearance for registration not required

Retraining serves the purpose of professional reorientation, usually because you can no longer exercise your previous profession. Retraining takes place on the basis of a recognised training occupation and, just like vocational training, is completed with a final examination, the retraining examination.

Retraining examinations consist of a written examination part and a practical or oral examination part. Both parts of the examination usually take place on different days. The written part of the examination takes place nationwide on a fixed day at the same time.

A retraining examination is held regionally by the bodies responsible for training in your occupation (e.g. Chamber of Industry and Commerce) for all retrainees at the end of the retraining period. Before you can take part in the retraining examination, you must have completed the retraining. This is two thirds of the usual training period in the respective occupation.

Since you have concluded a retraining contract with a company or educational institution, this retraining relationship has been notified to the regionally competent body (e.g. Chamber of Industry and Commerce) by your contractual partner. The responsible office therefore knows in which period you will take your Umtraining examination will be taken. The admission and registration process is started by the competent body by post or electronically.

The retraining examination is organised by the competent regional body in consultation with the examination board, which works on a voluntary basis. The examination board consists of an employer representative, employee representative and teacher representative. It takes your examination performance and evaluates it.

Your retraining relationship ends when the examination board announces the result. If you do not pass the retraining examination, you have the opportunity to repeat the examination twice.

The examination fees that become due are paid by the training company or educational institution with which you have concluded a retraining contractwith which you have concluded a retraining contract.

• You have completed the required period of retraining
• You have taken part in the prescribed final examination, Part 1, if this is provided for in the retraining regulations for the respective occupation.

• Retraining contract (already submitted before the start of retraining)
• Form "Registration for the retraining examination
• If applicable, "Application for compensation for disadvantages" form

Retraining examinations are subject to a fee. The examination fee is based on the respective fee schedules of the regionally responsible body.

You must plan your participation in a retraining examination in the long term and prepare well. If you have a registered training contract, you may be notified in advance of the upcoming examination by the competent body, but you will usually still have to register for the examination.

• After you have registered for the examination, the admission requirements will be checked.
• If you are admitted to the final examination, you will receive an invitation to all parts of the examination (written and practical or oral part).
• At the examination venue, you must show proof of identity and the examination registration form.
• You can usually view the provisional results of the written examination on the homepage of the competent body before taking the oral/practical examination.
• If you have participated in all parts of the examination, you will usually receive a notification as soon as possible stating whether you have passed or not.

Once your overall result has been established by the examination board, it will be forwarded to the competent body. Your examination certificate will be sent to you.

The registration deadline for the retraining examination is approximately four to five months before the written examination date. You can find out the exact registration deadline from the office responsible for your region.

• § Section 71 (2) of the Vocational Training Act (BBiG)
• §§ 58 ff. Vocational Training Act (BBiG)

By successfully passing the retraining examination, you will achieve an educational qualification at level 4 in the German Qualifications Framework.

General information on the subject of retraining and changing careers can be found on the website of the Federal Employment Agency.

"Change occupation" on the website of the Federal Employment Agency

Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce