1. German Confederation of Skilled Crafts and Small Businesses
Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
German Confederation of Skilled Crafts and Small Businesses
Brussels, Feb. 2005

2. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
ZDH:
ZDH is the umbrella organisation of the
Skilled Crafts in Germany and a Social
Partner on national level
Members:
ZDH is a registered association and unites
- 53 Chambers of Skilled Crafts and SMEs
- 42 national sector associations
- and other related organisations

3. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
Basis:
enterprises, 5 Mio employees and
over trainees constitutes make up
ZDH’s basis for lobbying towards national
government and the European Institutions

4. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
“Law on Skilled Crafts”
Unlike in many other countries, a skilled crafts enterprise in Germany is not defined by the number of employees or by turnover, but by its membership to one of the skilled craft trades as laid out in the Crafts Act (“Handwerksordnung”).
94 crafts professions are itemised under the Crafts Act.

5. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
Educational requirements in the field of German skilled crafts:
41 of the craft trades regulated by the Crafts Act require a person to be a Meiser (master) in order to start up a business.
Master Craftsman necessary degree to open up a business (obligatory for 41 professions)
…/…

6. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
…/…
Master craftsman education takes 1 year (full time) or 3 years (part time) (company+school)
Apprenticeship takes 3 years (company + school)
Minimum requirement to become Apprentice 9 years of school

7. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
ZDH’s Points of focus:
economic and financial policies
taxation; access to finance
SME development
vocational education and training
social policies
regional policy
environment, energy
Europe
Lobby
Consulting (project development / management)

8. ZDH Consult (Located at Brussels‘ Office)
Backstopping services by ZDH Consult
information
development
support
implementation
for EU co-financed SME projects

9. ZDH Consult (Located at Brussels‘ Office)
Topics:
business support services
(ESF Art.6: demographic change/management of restructuring; eGovernance/eAdministration; One Stop Shop; ……)
EU-Enlargement
mobility
VET
eLearning
regional development
FP6

10. ZDH-Consult (Located at Brussels‘ Office)
Access to European Networks:
UEAPME + national members
EICs
Hanseatic Parliament (Baltic Sea Area)
ARGE 28
Regions (e.g. EIRA)
NRW, The Netherlands

11. Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks
Contact:
Christopher Niehaus
ZDH
Rue Jacques de Lalaing 4
B-1040 Brussels
Belgium
Tel.: +32/ (0)2/
Fax.: +32/ (0)2/