After the journeyman certificate — further and continuing education
From skilled further towards academy diploma and management paths in trade and management
A journeyman's certificate from retail education is not a dead end — it is a springboard. The trade opens a long list of paths forward both if you want to excel in your current role and if you want in a completely new direction. Here is the overview of the possibilities.
§Shorter courses keep you sharp
The quickest path to new knowledge is often short courses. Within trade, sales, purchasing, logistics and IT there is further training you can take alongside work — for example labour market education (AMU) and industry courses. They are good at filling a specific gap in your skills without you having to leave your job.
§Higher education on top of the profession
If you want to go further on a full education, there are several levels to build on. An academy education is an obvious next step and can often be taken part-time alongside work. From there you can continue to a diploma education. If you took retail education as EUX, you also have the academic foundation that provides broader access to higher educations.
| Level | Example of direction | Typical shape |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | Sales, purchasing, logistics, IT, languages | Short courses alongside work |
| Academy | Trade, management, economics, e-commerce | Often part-time for working people |
| Diploma | Leadership, sales and marketing, logistics | Further from academy level, often part-time |
| Higher education | Broader studies (especially with EUX background) | Full or part-time |
§The way towards leadership
Many within retail move over time toward a leadership role — as a team leader, sales manager, purchasing manager or warehouse manager. Here both floor experience and further training in management count. The B2B Manager specialty already points in the training toward the more management and coordination-intensive end of the trade.
§Self-employed or specialist
Some choose to become specialists in a narrow field – for example international trade, a specific commodity group area or e-commerce. Others start for themselves. Both are built on the broad trade understanding you take with you from the education combined with the right further training.
§Make a plan in good time
There are many opportunities, and admission requirements vary from education to education. The best approach is to talk to a study advisor and check the current requirements for the educations you are aiming for. Then you know which subjects and what experience you need to have before applying.