Crafts and Skilled Trades – The Organisation »Westdeutscher Handwerkskammertag« in North Rhine Westphalia (WHKT)

The Westdeutscher Handwerkskammertag (WHKT – West German Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades’ Council) with registered offices in Düsseldorf is the regional council representing and joining together the seven Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades in NorthRhine Westphalia. Notwithstanding the independence of the individual chambers, it has the following tasks:

• coordination of opinions about uniform implementation of the joint tasks of the Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades,
• representing the common concerns of the Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades vis-à-vis the state government and the senior state authorities,
• maintaining the relations of the Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades with the other craft and skilled trades organisations, industry, universities and scientific institutions,
• implementing joint measures at state level in the interest of the all crafts and skilled trades,
• carrying out special tasks.

The specialist topics prioritised by the WHKT include craft and trade & industry law, organisational matters and vocational training and schools’ policy. In addition, the WHKT deals with economic observations and statistics, expert consultants, planning and environmental matters, Europe, multimedia, design and programming, and PR work. The individual Chambers of Crafts and Skilled Trades are entrusted with dealing with the individual specialist tasks, which are divided among them under the central responsibility and control of the WHKT.