Apprenticeship FAQ

We are interested in you as a person and we primarily want to find out about your personality and motivation. Of course, gender does not matter. You decide whether you want to share information such as your photo, marital status, religion, nationality, etc. with us. We value and treat all applications equally. To make the application process as easy as possible for you, you can apply with just your CV and references. If you prefer to apply in detail, send us your letter of motivation to application(at)k-d.com

Under the menu item “Apprenticeships” you can see which apprenticeships KD offers and whether we are currently looking for someone. If no apprenticeship is advertised there, all apprenticeships are currently filled.

Would you like to apply now for one of the upcoming training years? Then send us an email to application(at)k-d.com.

You don’t need a specific school-leaving qualification for training as an inland navigation skipper (m/f/d). You just need to have a school-leaving certificate and be at least 16 years old.

For all other apprenticeships, you need a secondary school leaving certificate, at least a technical secondary school leaving certificate.

You can find all other requirements in the respective advertisement.

Friendliness, tolerance and the ability to work in a team are important requirements for us. Otherwise, the requirements vary depending on the training. Just check the respective advertisement.

We offer the possibility of a student internship

Your apprenticeship starts on August 1.

During your training as a bargeman/inland navigation captain (m/f/d), you will learn practical skills on board the KD ships, while the theory is taught as a block course at the “Rhein” vocational college for bargemen in Duisburg.

The training ship RHEIN is a unique institution in Germany and Europe for the training and further education of inland waterway skippers, port logistics specialists and hydraulic engineers.

The trainees can live and learn together on board the training ship during the theoretical part of their training.

Your apprenticeship at KD lasts three years

KD offers three apprenticeships as a bargeman (m/f/d) and, if required, apprenticeships as an office management assistant (m/f/d) every year.

You will find out your exact salary during the application process. However, we can already tell you that inland navigation skipper/barge captain (m/f/d) is one of the best-paid apprenticeships.

Both the theoretical and practical parts of your training are special, because you live on board from the very beginning. During your school education on the training ship RHEIN in Duisburg, you live on a ship’s boarding school and during your practical part you live on board with the KD. You will learn to become independent and run your own household at an early stage. During your three-year training, you will change ships every year to get to know our fleet and the different routes.