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Ahmad Khazaal , Motor vehicle mechatronics technician

Recog­ni­tion means that soon I will hope­ful­ly be able to com­plete the mas­ter crafts­man ex­am­i­na­tion.

Ahmad Khazaal, a motor vehicle mechatronics technician, came from Lebanon to Germany in 2015. With a skills analysis he was able to receive recognition as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician.

My advice
You have to get on with it and see how things turn out!
Profile
Name
Ahmad Khazaal
Age
25
Reference occupation
Motor vehicle mechatronics technician
Country of origin of qualification
Libanon
Current job
Motor vehicle mechatronics technician

My story

For me, recognition means I have achieved an important goal and, at some point, might be able to run my own workshop.”

When Ahmad Khazaal came to Germany from Lebanon in 2015, he didn't have to start from nothing. Some of his family members were already living in Germany. This meant he had the opportunity to work in his uncle's garage in Oberhausen bei Kirn. The basis for this was his training in Lebanon as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician from Lebanon. He tries to visit the rest of his family at least once a year in Lebanon. “This is now difficult due to the coronavirus. However most of my family is already here in Germany,” says Ahmad.

Yet it wasn't thanks to his family alone that Ahmad Khazaal had an immediate connection in Germany. This outgoing young man quickly made new friends through his job in the garage. “I then met my wife through a friend. We've now been married for three-and-a-half years,” says Ahmad happily.

A solid foundation was therefore already in place for a life in Germany. So why get recognition of the vocational qualification? After all, motor vehicle mechatronics technician is not a regulated profession in Germany, and you can even work here without official certification.

Firstly, the official notice of recognition documents that the vocational skills learnt in your training are equivalent to those in the German training. Recognition in Germany is also your ticket to the master craftsperson examination. This again opened up new opportunities for Ahmad Khazaal. “I thought to myself,  I've had the training, so why shouldn't I do it?” His uncle helped him with the recognition and supported him through the master craftsman examination. “He's looking for a master craftsman to work as foreman in his garage,” explains Ahmad.

To start with, he and his wife searched for information on the internet. “We googled to find out what's involved and then called the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts and Trades directly.” Here he found out about which documents were needed for recognition and, there and then, was also given the form he needed to apply for recognition. “I then got together all the papers from Lebanon, had everything translated and sent it to the Chamber. Everything went well and it wasn't that difficult,” laughs Ahmad, “this was also because my wife was a great support throughout.”

However, when the documents were checked it turned out that the certificates provided insufficient information regarding the nature and content of his training. Luckily, for cases such as these there is the skills analysis (QA) which enables applicants to provide practical proof of their vocational skills. And this was then offered to Ahmad Khazaal. This was no problem for the young man. “No, I had no difficulties in completing the skills analysis.” The day arrived on 11 September 2020. At the Chamber of Crafts and Trades training centre in Koblenz, Ahmed Khazaal carried out a number of complex repairs on a test vehicle in the presence of an expert and his recognition advisor. He managed this practical element with no problems at all. “You are obviously a bit nervous to start with. But it wasn't stressful. I changed a cambelt. I do that quite often. The other tasks were also no problem for me. There was just quite a lot to do, but that was ok,” says Ahmad Khazaal talking about the skills analysis.

In the professional discussion which followed, it emerged that Ahmad Khazaal still had some catching up to do in the area of high voltage technology. He then also needed to complete refresher training in order to acquire this missing knowledge. After successfully completing the refresher training, he received notice of full equivalence of his training and, as a result, recognition as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician. Ahmad Khazaal is pleased: “I even enjoyed doing the refresher training! This gave me the chance to learn something new. These days there are obviously more and more electric vehicles. When I did my training there weren't any.”

The confident man from Lebanon has his sights firmly set on the master craftsman examination and intends to further improve his German skills for this. However, he is not required to pay the costs of the skills analysis himself. In his case, finance was available via the qualifications analyses special fund from the Skills Analysis Network (NetQA) project. The refresher training for high-voltage technology was funded via the “Integration through Qualification (IQ)” network.

The interview with Ahmad Khazaal took place in September 2020. He was supported in the recognition procedure by the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts and Trades.

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My vocational recognition is confirmation of what I'm able to do and opens up opportunities for me. 
My name is Ahmed Khazaal and I’m a motor vehicle mechatronics technician.

In Lebanon, I trained and worked as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician.
Luckily, when I came to Germany in 2015, I was able to start work straight away with my uncle in the garage

In Germany, you can work as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician. 
The occupation is not regulated. But then you can't go anywhere else in terms of your career.

I definitely want to progress and complete my master craftsman qualification to maybe later run my own garage. 

Recognition of the occupation is a requirement for admission to the master craftsman examination.

My wife and I found out the information on the internet and from the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts and Trades.

Mr Khazaal submitted his papers to us from Lebanon. However, these didn't clearly describe his qualifications.

Following my qualification, I worked for 4 years in Lebanon and 3 years in Germany.

We therefore suggested a skills analysis.  

That was great. I was able to show everything I was capable of. I was a bit nervous but that went away very quickly.
 
To start with, I sat down with Mr Khazaal for a preliminary discussion in order to get to know him. 

It helps if the people assessing me know me a bit and I know them.
 
In the practical element, he passed the mechanical task with flying colours. This also required systems expertise.

My task was to change a cambelt. I had done that many times before.  

We also considered a task on a brake. And he then had to find an electronic fault. 

Luckily I was also familiar with this from work. I slowly became more relaxed.

We then conducted a professional discussion in order to check theoretical knowledge. He did it very well. 
However, it was evident that he still had some catching up to do in the high voltage area.

I then gained this knowledge in the refresher training. I'm now fully recognised and have received the notice saying that my training is fully equivalent to the training in Germany.

And we look forward to seeing Mr Khazaal again on the further examination preparation course. 

It's time to get started on the master craftsman examination. I want to further improve my German for this.
My tip Get the information, think positive and really go for it!

Start your own success story and talk about it.

Recognition in Germany.

More success stories and information at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.
 

My procedure in brief

  1. Ahmad Khazaal completes training as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician in Lebanon.
  2. In 2015 he comes to Germany and gains professional experience in his uncle’s garage. His uncle is looking for a master craftsperson.
  3. Ahmad Khazaal finds information on the internet and from the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts and Trades about recognition of his vocational qualification from Lebanon.
  4. He obtains the necessary documents from Lebanon and applies for recognition to the Koblenz Chamber of Crafts and Trades.
  5. Because the documents do not provide sufficient information regarding the content of his training, he is offered a skills analysis.
  6. In September 2020, Ahmad Khazaal participates in the skills analysis. Because he does not have knowledge of high-voltage technology, he then attends refresher training. Following this, he receives notice of recognition as a motor vehicle mechatronics technician.

Further information