Excellent opportunities with the new upgrading grant

Federal Ministry of Education and Research 'info' tour stops off in Franconia. Parliamentary Secretary of State, Stefan Müller (Member of the Bundestag), provided information about funding options and opportunities in vocational education and training.

Stefan Müller, Parliamentary Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, discussed funding options and opportunities in vocational education and training together with Markus Rehm - multiple Paralympics winner - and with pupils and trainees at the Lower Franconia Chamber of Crafts and Trades and at Adidas. The Upgrading Training Assistance Act (Aufstiegsfortbildungsförderungsgesetz - AFBG) is the biggest and most important funding provision in the area of continuing vocational education and training.

"Professional development training in vocational education and training as master craftsperson or business administrator are available up to Master's level and offer simply outstanding prospects. They generate opportunities for the individual and create added value for the company. The upgrading grant which supports this represents an attractive and strong funding instrument," commented Secretary of State, Stefan Müller, who himself began his professional life with training.

He is a qualified banker and achieved the banking professional qualification as part of a work-based degree. "However, we still need to work on awareness. We are seeking to create greater awareness of these career opportunities in the minds of young people and their parents. This is the aim of our national information tour!"

The tour provided information locally on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) about the opportunities provided by professional development training. The focus was on locations where graduates of vocational education and training are found. In order to motivate them to focus on career advancement, the information campaign surrounding the AFGB - of which the information tour is a key element - focussed on testimonials, that is to say people who show the career routes which vocational training has to offer.

Markus Rehm is one of these. He completed his training as orthopaedic technician and orthotist as a Chamber of Industry and Commerce prize winner. Today, Markus Rehm is a master orthopaedic technician and focusses on the area of leg prosthetics. There is a personal background to this. As a track and field athlete, he was the flag bearer for the 2016 German Paralympics team in Rio de Janeiro and won gold medals in both the long jump as well as in the 4 x 100 metres hurdles.