Mr Lemanzyk, what are the advantages of nationwide standardised IHK certificate training courses?

Together with IHK specialists, we develop practice-oriented, standardised qualification concepts that everyone can follow. These are uniformly available to all IHKs. This saves resources, pools expertise from the networks, and makes the courses comparable: participants in Kiel learn the same as those in Nuremberg.

How does the practical relevance manifest in the "Cyber Defense Expert (IHK)" course?

Misconfigurations, incorrect access rights, poor patch management: there are many severe security incidents caused by avoidable errors in IT administration. The course teaches practical technical solutions: for every incident, there is a countermeasure that could have prevented or limited it. Training is done in virtual labs, where nothing can be damaged. The focus is on detection and response - areas where prevention alone is no longer sufficient.

Why should companies enable their employees to attend such training sessions?

We always design courses with practical expertise and base them on current economic needs and pressing problems - thereby preparing companies for the future. For example, the "Cyber Defense Expert (IHK)" certificate training course was developed by DIHK-Bildungs-gGmbH in close cooperation with DIHK and experts from the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Jacek Schikora, an expert at BSI, emphasises: companies do not have to reinvent the wheel, but should further qualify the professionals they already have. The leverage is high, and the effort manageable.

What do participants receive upon completing the course?

The IHK certificate training course consists of five consecutive training modules, comprising around 50 course hours in total. After the training, the course concludes with a final test and a practical exercise in the form of a capture-the-flag challenge. This is a practical hacking training exercise in game format to uncover IT security weaknesses. Upon successful completion, participants receive the IHK certificate, which is recognised throughout the economy. They can additionally obtain a digital IHK badge, which allows them to digitally display and have their skills verified by third parties.