The vocational school in the IT specialist training programme

Vocational school is an essential to become an IT specialist. In this article, I would like to explain what you can expect, the advantages of vocational school and why school at Itech BS 14 in Hamburg is not as boring as you might think!

Block schedule

I had the pleasure of attending vocational school in a block programme. For me, this means alternating between six weeks at the company and three weeks at vocational school. The big advantage of this is that I can also take holidays outside the school holidays. This gives you a lot of flexibility with your holidays. The disadvantage, however, is that it often feels unfamiliar to go back to work after the three weeks at vocational school. It takes some time to get used to the job again.

Teaching methods

Lessons at the Itech BS14 in Hamburg are organised into learning fields. At the beginning of a block, a learning field is introduced, which is then worked on. This can cover various topics, from business, networks and system development to DevOps. It is also not uncommon for several learning fields to be covered in one block of lessons. Learning fields are worked on in ‘projects’. An examination is held at the end of the learning field. Depending on how the lessons are organised, the assessment can therefore take the form of both a written examination and an oral grade.

Vocational school lessons also include the subjects English and WuG (economics and society), which are similar to lessons in general education schools. However, WuG lessons are strongly focussed on training and teach specific content that is relevant to working life. You not only learn about economic and social contexts, but also what rights you have as an apprentice, what you can do in the event of complications with your employer and what employee rights you are entitled to. Many topics are dealt with in a practical way and directly related to the respective industry so that what you have learnt can be applied directly in everyday working life.

No more frontal teaching

A wonderful way of passing on knowledge, which must be emphasised at ITech BS14, is that the teaching is not frontal. The teachers take on more of an advisory role and do not teach in the conventional way that is familiar from traditional schools. Instead of regular lessons, input is provided that is similar to the approach at university. This allows me to engage with the topics independently and in depth.

Of course, there are obligatory events to ensure that everyone has a similar level of knowledge. However, as there are different levels of knowledge at the vocational school, the students don't necessarily have to take part in every input. This flexibility gives me enough time to work on the learning field and the project.

To­geth­er­ness

What I enjoy most about vocational school are my fellow students. Unlike in regular school, where everyone usually has a similar level of knowledge, the age difference can be up to 15 years, and that brings with it an enormous variety of experiences.

Some of my classmates have already spent several years in professional life and bring valuable practical experience with them. Others have previously studied and have theoretical knowledge from university. Then there are those who have come straight from school and are just starting out in the work environment. This different level of knowledge creates an exciting learning atmosphere: people not only benefit from the lessons, but also from each other. The conversations during the breaks, the exchange about professional backgrounds and the different perspectives on the topics enrich learning enormously. This diversity makes the vocational school particularly valuable for me.