Technical merchant: training, further education, information, tests, guides, experience reports

The Swiss Association of Technical Executives Anavant publishes statistical data on professional examinations and pass rates:

• 2022: 68.60 % (723 passed out of 1,054 completed examinations)
• 2021: 66% (732 of 1,110)
• 2020: 69.45% (753 of 1,084)

Unsatisfactory grades in 2022 were only awarded in one subject:

• Corporate management with 3.8

A technical business administrator performs specialist and management tasks in a technical and business environment:

• Links between technology and economy
• Division manager, department manager, team leader, project manager or qualified specialist
• planning and organizational activities
• Ensure efficient use of resources
• Compliance with the required quality, environmental and safety requirements

Admission to the examination is granted to those who:

a) has a Federal Certificate of Competence (EFZ) or an equivalent qualification and can provide evidence of at least 3 years of professional experience in the technical craft sector after obtaining the qualification;

or

b) has a Federal Vocational Certificate (EBA) or an equivalent qualification and can provide evidence of at least 5 years of professional experience in the technical/trade sector after obtaining the qualification;

Der TK - Technischer Kaufmann - ist eine Berufsprüfung und schliesst mit einem eidgenössischem Fachausweis. Er richtet sich an Berufsleute mit einer technischen, kaufmännischen oder handwerklichen Grundbildung, die neue Aufgaben im Betrieb übernehmen wollen. Das heisst, die von der Werkstatt ins Büro wechseln wollen.

Der Bildungsgang «Techniker HF» ist ein Bildungsgang an einer höheren Fachschule und schliesst mit einem HF-Diplom ab. Es gibt ihn in verschiedenen Fachrichtungen: Bauplanung, Elektrotechnik, Informatik, Unternehmensprozesse, Systemtechnik etc.

The further training course in technical business management with a federal certificate is very well recognized on the job market and, with the federal certificate, enables employment in many industries and different areas of different technical business management jobs. The advantage is an all-encompassing, holistic further education that complements technical specialists with business knowledge. This means that technical clerks are generalists with specialist technical or trade knowledge.

Employment opportunities / Technical sales representative jobs:

• Technical clerk (hub function for technology)
• Internal sales clerk
• Technical salesperson
• Technical advisor
• Sales in a technical environment
• Processing in the QM area
• Purchaser
• Responsible for materials management
• Project employee IT / Organization
• Customer service manager
• Operations manager of small and medium-sized technical enterprises

Since 1991, there have been over 13,000 successful candidates in the technical salesperson examination and it is one of the most widely taken professional examinations. However, the difficulty of the Technischer Kaufmann exam should not be underestimated. Candidates have to spend four examination days on the federal examination and CHF 1,800 (3 days written and one day oral). According to statistical data from Anavant, the Swiss Association of Technical Executives, the average pass rate for the technical salesperson exam over the last five years is around 67.4 %. This means that a good two thirds of participants pass the professional examination.

This means that the Technical Business Administrator failure rate over the last five years is over 33% - just under a third. In 2018, the pass rate for all federal vocational diplomas was just under 65% - so the difficulty level of the technical salesperson should not be disregarded. The degree of difficulty of the technical salesperson is therefore slightly above the average for all professional examinations - those in the fields of journalism, transportation, horticulture, nursing, therapy, rehabilitation, electricity and energy are more difficult. The challenges in avoiding this technical salesperson failure rate certainly lie in the breadth of knowledge required and the new activity in the working environment. The latter requires computer skills, new ways of thinking and knowledge of economic relationships. Thanks to a subsidy from the federal government, you will receive up to 50% of the training costs back after passing the exam (regardless of the outcome). However, if you fail the Technical Business Management Assistant exam, you can retake it.

According to a survey conducted by Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch among those interested in the Technical Business Management Assistant course, 61% of respondents would still like to check whether the Technical Business Management Assistant course is really the right one for them. 28 % enquire about this technical business management assistant course on the education platform Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch because it was recommended to them. Only 11% of those surveyed are interested in the further training course for technical business management assistants with a professional examination because this title is required in job advertisements. In our experience, this further training is usually chosen by professionals who want to expand their technical or manual skills with business management expertise. This is so that they can then act as a link between craftsmanship or technology and management. This was also confirmed by survey participants with the free text answers "Love technology, have a lot of practical experience", "Preparation for taking over a business", "Supplement to craft profession" and "In addition to working in the workshop as a motorcycle mechanic and suspension specialist, I also want to work in the office a little and become self-employed". In general, however, further training is also always for personal development, as other participants told us with statements such as "For my further development", "Because I want to do this course", "I want to continue my education", "Management position", "Retraining", "Earning money", "Looking for information about further training opportunities for future employees", "I would like to see the content of the modules", "to expand my knowledge and improve my chances on the job market", "versatile, recommended, good prospects", "a good opportunity to gain a commercial qualification" and "I am underchallenged in my current job and am looking for a new challenge" also confirmed.

When we look at classic careers after training as a technical business management assistant, we often focus on the management of a craft business. The classic example is the car mechanic who takes over his father's business (garage) and develops it into a larger company by later expanding it into several garage locations. Other classic positions are those at the interface between technology and business management. For example, a carpenter who wants to manage the sale of tools in the timber industry and develops into a member of the management team. Similar examples are known of metalworkers who become group leaders and then take over the management of sales and customer service and later even become managing directors. A bricklayer first takes care of purchasing materials, then becomes a division manager and finally the owner and proprietor of a painting business.

In the Technical Business Management Assistant course, participants acquire the following learning content through Technical Business Management Assistant subjects:

• Supply Chain Management
• Marketing and sales
• Personnel management
• Financial management
• Corporate management
• Legal knowledge
• Economics
• Problem-solving and decision-making methodology
• Presentation and communication

The Technical Business Management Assistant course teaches a broad generalist knowledge through technical business management subjects so that future specialists and managers can supplement their technical background with business management skills.

A survey of those interested in training on the platform revealed the following results for the currently desired type of training for technical business management assistants:

• 32 % would like to have face-to-face teaching at local schools
• 26% would like hybrid teaching (students on site and students present online at the same time)
• 25% prefer online lessons where everyone is present online
• 17 % have no preference regarding the form of teaching

Compared to the previous year, the popularity of face-to-face technical business training has fallen by 5 %. In contrast, the desire for hybrid lessons has risen by 3%. 1 % more would like technical business management assistant online lessons and 1 % more currently have no preference.

A technical business management assistant has the following qualifications:

• Generalist with previous technical knowledge or commercial background
• Coordination and management of specialist and/or interdisciplinary teams and projects
• Processing entrepreneurial issues in a technical and business environment
• Acting in various roles that require business know-how and technical background knowledge
• Company management, management of a team or as support for company management - especially in the industrial/commercial sector
• Acting in accordance with economic, social and ecological principles

You can become a technical salesperson with specific training:

• Awareness and image
• Skills and perspectives
• 10 advantages
• Wages
• Experience participantsandExperience report from course leaders
• Self-test
• Guide to further training in business administration

If you want to develop your management skills even further after becoming a technical business administrator, you can complete your studies to become a certified business economist HF at a higher technical college. There you can shorten your studies - starting in the 3rd semester - to become a generalist in business administration with an HF diploma. If you want to acquire further management skills as a business economist, you can choose the postgraduate NDS HF in General Management to become a federally certified business economist. If you are aiming for a position as a sales manager, take the higher specialist examination to become a sales manager with a federal diploma.

According to a survey, the following information about lecturers is most important for participants in the technical business management course with a federal certificate (multiple choices were possible):

• 61 % Subjects
• 58 % Teaching methodology
• 53 % Professional experience of the lecturers
• 49 % Current activity and function in the company
• 44 % Training and further education of lecturers
• 31 % Video with a teaching sequence
• 28 % current portrait image
• 22 % Video with introduction of the lecturers
• 20 % personal ratings
• 16 % Successes to date
• 7 % Linking with social media profiles (Xing, LinkedIn)
• 6 % Hobbies

According to a survey of prospective Tech. Kaufmann of this educational platform, the following frequency of learning types has emerged:

• 34 % Visual learner: learns best by seeing (graphics, videos or pictures)
• 33 % Motor learning type: learns most easily by doing (learning by doing)
• 25 % Communicative learner: learns fastest through conversations or discussions with others
• 8 % Auditory learner: learns best by listening (listening to audio, listening to lessons and reading aloud)

According to the salary book 2020 (Department of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Zurich), the salary details of the technical salesperson are as follows - classified by age (monthly, gross):

• 27 - 29: 7'282 francs
• 30 - 34: 8,340 francs
• 35 - 39: 9'416 francs
• 40 - 44: 10,263 francs
• 45 - 49: 10,288 francs
• 50 - 54: 10,311 francs
• aged 55 and over: 10,682 francs

Wage payments vary depending on the sector, place of work and function. Calculate in the Salarium - Statistical wage calculator of the Confederation.

The technical business graduate brings the following to successful graduates:

• Federal certificate - one of the most popular and best-known qualifications
• Employment in a commercial management position within an industrial or commercial enterprise
• perform business management and leadership functions
• Over CHF 434,000 more salary until retirement (after deduction of training expenses)
• Possibility of further training or specialization in business administration

Technical business management assistant There are good opportunities to follow on from this. As a technical business management assistant with a federal certificate and proof of at least 3 years in a management position, you have the opportunity to take the higher specialist examination for federally certified managing directors. The "Anavant" sponsoring association also conducts the higher professional examination as further training for technical business management.

Furthermore, holders of the Technical Business Management Specialist certificate are admitted to various other federal professional examinations, higher professional examinations (e.g. sales manager), postgraduate studies (e.g. in marketing) or studies at higher technical colleges (in business administration such as HF Business Administration, HF Business Processes, NDS HF Business Administration or NDS HF Leadership), provided that the specific admission criteria of the desired course of study can be met. This means that there are numerous options for continuing education after the Technical Business Administration degree.

As the results of the survey conducted on behalf of Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch among people interested in the Technical Business Management Assistant course show, 47% of them choose schools based on online reviews. 34% of those interested in the Technical Management Assistant course choose to request further school information based on recommendations. 19 %, on the other hand, already know the schools from which they obtain information for this further education course. Several people emphasized that the regional location of the school was also very important in their choice with the free text answers "regionally represented schools", "nearby", "it's easiest as it's not far from home", "proximity to place of work" and "catchment area". Other responses such as "Google", "online advertising", "found out about several providers" and "coincidence" point to the importance of the interactive discoverability of the school and the range of options. Answers such as "full-time offer", "online lessons", "start date", "course times" and "because of my irregular working hours" show that the lesson times offered are also an important criterion in the selection process.

The technical business management assistant apprenticeship is suitable for professionals in technology or trade with an EFZ who wish to acquire the necessary commercial and business management expertise to work in a management position in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or to perform qualified clerical work. In other words, for anyone who wants to move "from the outside" into the office. For people who want to switch from manual jobs to commercial ones. Reasons for such a generalist development would be

• A car mechanic takes over his father's garage / business
• Switch from production / workshop to the office
• Entry into technical sales, technical consulting (construction suppliers, etc.)
• want to become self-employed and now need the business management tools

The commercial school leads to a commercial diploma, a recognized qualification in the field of further education (tertiary level). This qualification forms the basis for all activities in the commercial sector, from clerical work to further training at the highest management levels. The technical business management assistant is a federal certificate of higher vocational education and training - a higher qualification at professional examination level (tertiary level B). The course content is aimed at people with an industrial-technical apprenticeship.

Technical understanding and sound commercial and business management knowledge enable technical business management assistants with a federal certificate to analyze and solve complex problems holistically. There are good opportunities for technical business management assistants. In most cases, they perform a lower to middle management function. In many SMEs, a technical business management assistant fills a management position. The strengths of Technical Business Administrators are:

• Understanding customer needs and being able to implement them in business terms
• Industry diversity - because "entrepreneurial knowledge" is needed everywhere
• Generalist knowledge
• Recognized federal qualification as a technical merchant at professional examination level
• can go into self-employment as he has the necessary business know-how

The technical businessman is right for me if I fulfill the following requirements:

• have an interest in office work and an entrepreneurial mindset
• Outgoing with organizational talent
• have already completed basic technical or craft training
• Willingness to take on a management function or independence
• Pre-financing of course fees in the amount of approx. CHF 15,000
• Willingness to invest in one to two years of teaching (800 lessons) and self-study (990 hours)

If you would like to switch from the skilled trades to the office, you should also consider the following further training courses as alternatives to the Technical Business Management School:

• Commercial diploma VSH or edupool.ch
• Advanced business diploma
• Business specialist edupool.ch
• Subject-specific qualifications at specialist certificate level in the appropriate field
• Management specialist
• Specialist in SME management
• Catch up on your vocational baccalaureate and study at a university of applied sciences
• Logistician
• Company organizer
• Business Administration Certificate

If you are unsure which is the best further training option, you should spend a certain amount of time researching suitable job advertisements for the required qualifications. However, the following should be noted: The technical salesperson apprenticeship is tailored to tradespeople who want to work in sales and customer service afterwards. This is because they understand customer needs and are able to convert these into commercial orders or offers.

Technical business management assistants with a professional examination have the following jobs:

• Exercise a function as a managerial employee
• Employment possible up to middle management level
• Work in service, commercial, administrative and industrial companies
• in procurement, organization, customer service, marketing or technical sales

Technical merchants perform the following tasks:

• As a manager, takes into account the business context
• take legal and financial aspects into consideration
• organize employee and team management according to the circumstances of the company
• take over qualified tasks of the active specialist area
• mostly responsible for quality assurance and developing new strategies for maintenance
• be an important link between technology and economy
• Ensure the smooth running of the business process
• Ensure internal and external communication with all stakeholder groups