The newly created caravan and motor caravan technology career path – a milestone for the caravanning industry

A major hurdle has now been cleared for the creation of the first-ever skilled occupation specially tailored to the needs of the caravanning industry. Acting under the aegis of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWi), the relevant employees’ and employers’ associations have decided to revamp the industrial career known officially as “bodywork and vehicle manufacturing mechanic”. This undertaking involves the following: (1) revamping the two existing professional careers known officially as “car body maintenance technology” and “car body and vehicle manufacturing technology”; and (2) creating an entirely new discipline. Individuals who pursue this career path – officially known as “caravan and motor caravan technology” – will receive specialized training in the skills needed for the manufacture, maintenance and repair of caravans and motor caravans. The training for this discipline will cover the following: (1) the basic skills needed for workers who are involved in the production of caravans and motor caravans; (2) the skillset needed for retrofitting caravans and motor caravans; (3) the skillset needed for the maintenance of electrical, electronic, hydraulic and pneumatic systems in caravans and motor caravans.

The training syllabus for this new career path also includes the skillset needed for equipping and maintaining supply and disposal facilities in caravans and motor caravans, as well as for damage assessment and repair.

Co-operation with the German trade association ZKF: training program starts in 2023

This new undertaking represents a major milestone for the caravanning industry and its trade association Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD), in that the latter will for the first time be directly involved in training for the new career path. Over the next two years, CIVD will be working with the German chassis and vehicle technology trade association known as Zentralverband Karosserie- und Fahrzeugtechnik (ZKF) on the elaboration of the curriculum for the relevant training programs. Although certain committees and ministries still remain to be consulted, the key facts and figures for the new career path’s training program are as follows:

• Training period: 3.5 years
• This period will consist of six-month training periods with two separate exams – a journeyman’s and a final examination, the latter covering only the material of the second part of the of the training program.
• Examination type: extended journeyman and final examination

The career path will have a dual statutory basis, given that it is intended for trainees who intend to work in the skilled trades, as well as those who seek employment in the manufacturing sector. In the first year of the training program, trainees will jointly receive instruction in all vehicle related technologies and skillsets, before branching off into specializations. If all goes according to plan, the first trainees will have the opportunity to begin their specialized caravanning industry training in 2023. Thomas Aukamm, Executive Director of the ZKF, strongly believes that “together, we will be even better positioned in the coming years and will thus have greater appeal for younger people.” “In collaboration with CIVD, we have created a fascinating new specialized career path that will enable the occupational training sector to meet the growing demand and increased need for qualified personnel in the caravanning industry. Adding a third, specialized profession for caravan and motor caravan technology is bound to increase the appeal of this line of work, and will also create synergy between many skilled trades and the concept of mobility,” Mr. Aukamm noted.

Increased sales of new caravans and motor caravans – and a concomitant need for skilled labor

Sales of new caravans and motor caravans have been reaching new peaks for a number of years now. A total of 1.4 million caravans and motor caravans are currently in use in Germany, an increase of more than 30 percent in only five years. Correspondingly, the need for skilled labor at production plants and in garages and dealerships is on the rise as well. In many respects, caravans and motor caravans differ from other road vehicles such as passenger cars. Caravan and motor caravan production entails new, and a greater number of constellations of materials, for which advanced technologies and new joining processes are increasingly coming into use. Moreover, the growing number of driver assistance systems being installed in caravans and motor caravans requires precise adjustment and documentation, and the networking of vehicle systems is also playing an increasingly important role. Added to all this is the fact that the applicable legal regulations and standards change continually when it comes, for example, to working on hybrid, electric, high-voltage and hydrogen vehicles, or to joining and handling vehicle parts. “In the interest of keeping in step with the specialized requirements of our industry, for some years now we have been working toward creating specialized career paths that will meet these needs,” notes CIVD managing director Daniel Onggowinarso. “And so we are pleased to have taken an important step toward reaching this goal. We’re grateful to ZKF, our partner in this endeavor, and all the other parties that supported us in reaching this agreement. Together, we look forward to creating a caravanning industry that is well equipped to meet future challenges,” Mr. Onggowinarso said.