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31 master craftsman, specialist and Bachelor Professional degrees awarded in southern Hesse
Darmstadt. At a ceremony held at the Darmstadt Rhine-Main-Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), 31 graduates of advanced vocational training programs received their diplomas. Six top-performing students were given special recognition.
“You are the people who are so desperately needed. You are the key workers who keep the economy running,” emphasized Ulrike Jakobi, Vice President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, in her welcoming address. The managing director of several Edeka supermarkets praised the graduates' perseverance and discipline: “Your further training can be very well compared to a mountain climb: The ascent is steep, requiring patience, strength, and stamina.”
Further training pays off
A survey by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) shows that the efforts also pay off financially: Two-thirds of graduates of IHK (Chamber of Industry and Commerce) advanced training programs take on a higher position or more responsibility, and just as many experience a financial improvement. One-third of them even benefit from more than €1,000 in additional income per month.
The Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) qualifications – from industrial master craftsman to certified specialist and Bachelor Professional – are equivalent to bachelor's or master's degrees from universities. "Only with well-trained specialists can companies in southern Hesse meet the challenges of the coming years," said Jakobi. According to forecasts, Hesse will be short around 240,000 skilled workers by 2030, primarily those with vocational qualifications.
The best in their field
A total of 31 qualifications were awarded in the fields of accounting (1), industrial business administrator (2), industrial master in chemistry (2), industrial master in electrical engineering (9), industrial master in mechatronics (6), logistics master (1) and business administrator (10).
The following students were recognized as the top performers in their respective fields:
- Anna Wolf , 25, Business Specialist (76 points)
- Pascale Rudolph , 25, accountant from Fränkisch-Crumbach (89 points, BAUMANN & BAUMANN PartmbB, Ober-Ramstadt)
- Björn Wittwer , 27, Industrial Master in Chemistry from Erzhausen (74 points, Evonik Operations GmbH, Darmstadt)
- Bastian Mohr , 22, industrial master mechatronics from Reichelsheim (80 points, Georg Jung GmbH & Co. KG, Brensbach)
- Marcel Bathon , 28, industrial master electrician from Geiselbach (84 points, Evonik Industries AG, Darmstadt)
- Niklas Göttmann , 23, industrial business administrator from Groß-Umstadt (74 points, Resopal GmbH, Groß-Umstadt)
8DARMSTADT – RED/IHK)
Featured image: Some of the graduates who passed their advanced training exams in 2025 at the Darmstadt Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Darmstadt). From left to right: Bastian Mohr, Certified Industrial Master in Mechatronics; Pascale Rudolph, Certified Accountant; Niklas Göttmann, Certified Industrial Business Administrator; Marcel Bathon, Certified Industrial Master in Electrical Engineering; Björn Wittwer, Certified Industrial Master in Chemistry; and Vice President Ulrike Jakobi. Photo: Markus Schmidt
