Strong together - advantages of guild membership

As a guild member, you benefit from savings opportunities in the area of training (inter-company training, examination fees), advertising campaigns with participation opportunities, legal advice, press releases for public relations work, information brochures on industry-specific topics, Erfa groups, company comparisons, listing in the optician search on www.innungsoptiker.de and many other advantages.

Information and the LI/LIV responsible can be found on the ZVA website under the heading "The Association".

Guild members can find support in these areas:

Professional policy

• Labour and quality guidelines
• Preservation of the master craftsman's certificate and the presence of the master craftsman
• Enforcement of further training examinations for optometrists
• Representation of interests in Berlin and Brussels
• Neutral assessment of technical innovations
  
  

Recht

• Optometric screenings by opticians and legally compliant advertising
• Prevent the sale of glasses by providers from outside the industry
• Create a level playing field for all market participants
  
  

Business administration and health insurance companies

• Preparation of valid industry figures - partly through in-house surveys (e.g. industry structure survey)
• Business analyses: DATEV business comparison; Erfa, Erfalight analyses
• Support for ERFA groups
• Provision of information and implementation aids in the areas of data protection and cash management
• Tariff negotiations, preparation of tariff recommendations
• Negotiations with statutory and private health insurance funds, Federal Ministry of Defence, Civil Service Health Insurance Fund to regulate the provision of services, billing
  
  

Vocational training

• Amendment of training regulations and master craftsman examination regulations
• Conceptual and standardised design of vocational and vocational school training
• Supervision of the European Diploma in Ophthalmic Optics and Optometry
• Examination and further training of experts
• Creation of an examination task database for the master craftsman examination in the interests of quality assurance
• Development of framework curricula and inter-company training
• Determination and provision of all relevant data on ophthalmic vocational training in the ZVA vocational training report
  
  

Communication

• Answering press enquiries from the trade and general press as well as radio and TV
• Nationwide image campaign "Ihre Innungsoptiker" with various participation opportunities
• Content marketing through cooperation with network partners
• Inclusion of social media
• Nationwide internal communication

Us for you: twelve reasons for your guild membership

We are negotiation professionals

We conduct negotiations to your advantage, for example with legislators, authorities, courts and health insurance companies.

We are the point of contact

for opticians, consumer associations, the media, health insurance companies, legislators, the optical industry and wholesalers.

We are trainers 

We support your training and further education: at the Higher Technical College for Optometry and Ophthalmic Optics in Cologne (HFAK), the Technical Academy for Ophthalmic Optics in Munich and the ZVA Training Centre in Dormagen-Knechtsteden.

We are legal advisors

We provide expert advice in various areas of law, e.g. labour law, professional law, competition law and contract law.

We are sponsors

We support scientific studies and award scholarships through the Stiftung Forschungsgemeinschaft Deutscher Augenoptiker.

We are your mouthpiece

We shape your public image, explain the importance of good vision and the achievements of German opticians and keep you up to date with all the latest industry news.

We are economic experts

We compile key business figures, statistics and systems for individual business calculations and clarify billing problems with health insurance companies.

We are advocates

We fight for your rights and your position, e.g. for a comprehensive refraction right for opticians, and conduct test cases for you.

We are visionaries

We drive forward technical innovations in ophthalmic optics.

We are trainers

We keep you fit with regular seminars for professionals, trainers and experts.

We are professional experts

We are involved in the design of the job description and actively work in favour of further education and training.

We are your representatives in organisations such as

• German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH)
• German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (UDH)
• Board of Trustees for Good Vision (KGS)
• European Council for Optometry and Optics (ECOO)
• Competition Centre
  
  

Advantages of guild membership