Management assistant training: Experience report by a lecturer from the KV Aarau business school - practicing communication, information and administration management and embodying the true support of the management team
Please tell us about your professional career to date.
My name is Claudio Cannatella. I teach IT at the KV Aarau commercial college as part of the management assistant course. I completed my apprenticeship at the post office counter. I then went on to do the KV. I then moved into IT and completed various training courses there. At some point, I was asked to become a lecturer. And I have remained loyal to this job ever since I accepted.
Who is the management assistant training program suitable for?
The management assistant training course is suitable for people who would like to take on a management position. By managing the supervisors, an important contribution can be made to representing the company. They help to demonstrate the company's special skills to the outside world. As an assistant manager, you work in an interface function between the management level and stakeholders in the management team. Communication and organizational skills are particularly important for this.
What exactly is the role of an assistant manager?
The role of an assistant manager is to take on tasks in a rotational function. They either carry out these tasks themselves or delegate them to others as required. They manage the management team - including their own boss in some cases. The focus is on monitoring processes, meeting deadlines and organizing events. These are some of the most important aspects of an assistant manager's job.
How can I imagine this in everyday life?
I once took part in a three-day IT trade fair with my company. We were lucky enough to have a large corporation positioned opposite us. One day, the CEO of this company, whom I only knew from the newspapers, came by. I could see a lady accompanying him. No matter what he did, the lady was right there with him. She kept telling him what he had to do. Even when other people entered the stand, the lady told him who they were. She organized the whole day for him. She even went so far as to attend the fair together with him in the evening - this time a little more distanced - but you could still feel that she had consciously guided him. This was an exciting experience for me and shows that an executive assistant is not just a lady in the outer office who makes coffee and photocopies. The influence of an executive assistant goes much further and she really looks after her boss in all situations.
Are executive assistants more likely to work in large international corporations?
The management assistant apprenticeship is a generalist apprenticeship, which means the spectrum is very broad. There are those who go on to work in small companies and really manage everything. This means organizing everything from paperwork to computer procurement - in other words, organizing everything. Others work in large corporations as the boss's right-hand man. There, of course, the tasks of an executive assistant are somewhat different. This is exactly what makes the training so interesting. It prepares the management assistant for all eventualities.
What are the admission requirements for training in management assistance?
To be able to start training as a management assistant, you need an EFZ in business administration, a high school diploma or an equivalent qualification. A portfolio must be created and submitted in order to take the examination for the federal certificate. The examination board defines what this must contain.
What content is taught in the management assistant apprenticeship?
The learning content taught in the management assistant apprenticeship is based on commercial skills and not on traditional subjects. Commercial skills as a management assistant include, for example
- How to edit a mailbox
- How to organize events
- A second official language
- Computer science incl. presentation and evaluation of data
- Self-competence and self-organization
- Project and organizational management
- Team leadership and conducting appraisal interviews
- Recruitment of new employees
What qualification do the participants have after completing this training?
After completing the training and passing the federal examination, you will graduate as a management assistant with a federal certificate. This opens up various prospects for further development, as well as access to a university of applied sciences to complete CAS or MAS courses.
What jobs are graduates of the management assistant training program looking for?
On job portals, successful graduates search for executive assistant or, especially in larger companies, executive assistant as job titles.
What makes the KV Aarau commercial school stand out for you?
The KV Aarau Commercial School is characterized by innovative and good lecturers for the management assistant course, who are close to the practical side of things. Most of them come from the business world and are able to incorporate practical aspects into their teaching on a one-to-one basis. The location and position of the school is very good, as it is close to the train station and centrally located.
Why should students choose HKV Aarau?
Because HKV Aarau is a school with a future. We have modern premises, good infrastructure and good lecturers.
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