Hiring Architectural
or Drafting Techs
from Germany
Architecture is a legally regulated profession in Germany—but
architectural technology does not exist as a distinct job category.
Related tasks, such as supervising construction projects and
technical designs, are typically handled by architects, civil engineers
or project managers.
Drafting may be done by graduate architects—those who have
a degree but lack the requisite two years’ work experience for
professional practice—or by draftsmen or drawing technicians. There
are no formal post-secondary education requirements for the latter.
Similiar job titles in Germany
„„ Architectural or Drafting Technologist or Technician
„„ Diplom-Architekt, technischer zeichner or bauzeichner
Who to target
„„ Since architectural technology does not exist as an occupation in
Germany, look for graduate architects who have a bachelor’s degree
but lack sufficient experience to register as an architect. You can
also look for civil engineers. Both are likely to meet the academic
requirements for technologist certification with the Association of
Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta (ASET),
although they may prefer professional licensure.
„„ German workers with vocational education and training (VET)
may also be good candidates. Often referred to as Fachkräfte
(professionals) along with the name of their occupation, they may
use the titles Facharbeiter or Meister. Facharbeiter generally learn
through an apprenticeship program for three to five years after
high school. Additional training and testing are required for the
Meister title.
„„ Drawing technicians, commonly called technischer zeichner,
are draftspersons who work in architectural, civil engineering or
construction firms. They may or may not have post-secondary
education. Their eligibility for certification at the technologist
or technician level will depend on their individual experience
and competence.
Helpful information for recruiting in Germany
„„ There are two types of universities in Germany: the
Fachhochschulen, or Universities of Applied Science, and the
traditional research universities. Schools that provide VET are
commonly called Berufsschulen. Architects may be educated at
either type of university while draftsmen might have VET training,
professional training or no post-secondary education at all.
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„„ In Germany’s new three-cycle system of university education,
students may earn a bachelor’s degree followed by a master’s
degree and then a doctoral degree, similar to the North American
system. Bachelor’s degrees generally require three years of study
while master’s degrees usually require two more.
„„ It may be difficult to find suitable candidates with English fluent
enough for ASET certification. Trade workers are not strongly
encouraged to develop their English language skills since their
professions don’t often require them to work internationally, while
fully qualified professional architects—who are more likely to be
fluent in English—may not be interested in working as technologists.
Skill and knowledge gaps and other barriers
Internationally trained applicants must meet a minimum national
benchmark for education, experience and professionalism to be
certified by ASET. For more information, see www.aset.ab.ca.
Other resources
Employers may be able to partner with the German Chambers of
Industry and Commerce (DIHK) to better understand how to recruit
skilled workers in Germany. See www.dihk.de. The Federal
Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) maintains a
database of occupational profiles of German skilled workers. See
www.bibb.de. The Federal Chamber of German Architects may also
have useful information. See www.bak.de.
Comparable Canadian and German job titles
Canada
Germany
Architectural
Technologists and
Technicians
Bauzeichner, bauingenieur, bautechniker or
possibly a bachelor’s, master’s or Dipl. Ing. in
architecture, but not yet a registered architect
Drafting Technologists
and Technicians
Technisher zeichner, technischer
produktdesigner, konstrukteur, or technischer
systemplaner.
NOTE: Workers in these occupations may have educational qualifications ranging from
on-the-job training or professional courses up to and including a master’s degree.
Employers should consider Alberta’s educational requirements when recruiting for these
jobs in Germany.