Digital Training Logbook (Berichtsheft): Template, Checklist

A digital training logbook is the electronic version of the training record (Ausbildungsnachweis, Berichtsheft) that apprentices in Germany keep under § 13 BBiG. Apprentices note daily or weekly what they did in the company and at vocational school. The trainer reviews the entries and approves them digitally. Digital records are allowed for all training contracts from 1 October 2017. Without a complete record, there is no admission to the final examination.

What Does § 13 BBiG Require From the Logbook?

The Vocational Training Act (BBiG) obliges apprentices to keep a written or electronic training record (§ 13 sentence 2 no. 7 BBiG). The electronic form applies to all contracts from 1 October 2017 (§ 103 (3) BBiG). Which form applies is set in the training contract (§ 11 (1) sentence 2 no. 12 BBiG). The company must encourage apprentices to keep the record, review it regularly, and let them write it at the workplace (§ 14 (2) BBiG).

The details are set out in the BIBB Board recommendation of 1 September 2020. It is not a legal norm, but the chambers are asked to adopt it:

• Rhythm: daily or weekly, in note form, about one A4 page per week, kept by the apprentices themselves
• Required details: name, training year, and reporting period on every daily or weekly sheet
• Content: workplace activities, instruction and in-company teaching, and vocational school topics, ideally with time spent
• Approval: trainers review at least monthly and confirm accuracy and completeness, for digital records also electronically
• Minors: a legal guardian takes note at appropriate intervals and confirms this

Note: This article is not legal advice. Your competent chamber gives binding information.

What Happens to the IHK Digital Logbook?

The IHK’s Digitales Berichtsheft in the Serviceportal Bildung will be discontinued nationwide on 31 December 2026, according to several IHKs (IHK Hannover). After that there is no access to the stored records (IHK Rheinhessen), and export is no longer possible (IHK Limburg). Apprentices should therefore export their records in time and save them locally (IHK Hannover). Companies that used the IHK tool need a new solution.

Of 14 IHKs whose pages we reviewed on 2 November 2026, 13 name 31 December 2026 as the last day. IHK Karlsruhe names 30 June 2026 for its online portal. An overview per IHK, export steps, and a checklist for the switch are in our German article IHK Berichtsheft Alternative.

Before the end of 2026: approve open entries, have every affected apprentice export their records as a PDF, keep a copy in the company, and start the new logbook with the week after the last exported entry.

Training Logbook Template to Copy

This structure covers the minimum details of the BIBB recommendation and drops into any word processor, wiki, or logbook tool. Create one copy per week.

What Are the Options for a Digital Training Logbook?

There are four routes: a Word or PDF template, an industry app, a standalone logbook app, or a learning platform with a logbook. They differ mainly in how much manual work reminders, approval, and export still take.

Start for free: The BIBB recommendation includes samples for daily and weekly records, including versions linked to the framework training plan. It also names industry apps, for example for the bakery, roofing, hairdressing, and metal trades, landscaping, and automotive occupations. Ask your chamber first which formats it accepts.

The logbook is always free for apprentices. Record books, forms, and IT programs are provided by the company (§ 14 (1) no. 3 BBiG). Apprentices do not need to buy anything. The company tells them which form applies.

Checklist: Is the Digital Solution Ready?

Check these points before you roll out a tool. Especially after the IHK shutdown: every record must be fully exportable at any time.

Can Apprentices Write the Logbook With AI?

Only as help with wording their own notes, not as a replacement. Two rules set the frame.

1. Kept by the apprentice, confirmed by the trainer. Under the BIBB recommendation, apprentices keep the record themselves. A text an AI invents without their own notes does not meet that.
2. Trade secrets stay in the company. Apprentices must keep business secrets confidential (§ 13 sentence 2 no. 6 BBiG). Customer names, prices, or internal processes do not belong in a public chatbot.

Decide in the company whether and which AI tools are allowed. Our checklist for GDPR-compliant AI tools shows what to look for.

Connecting the Logbook to a Learning Platform

A digital logbook adds the most value where apprentices also learn. The trainer then sees the record and the learning progress in one place. LearnSlice, a learning platform for apprenticeships based in Düsseldorf, combines both.

This is an entry in LearnSlice (German interface). Workplace activities, vocational school topics, hours, and department are fixed fields. The curriculum link shows which learning-plan topics were covered in the period. Before submitting, the apprentice confirms they wrote the entry themselves. The trainer sets the rhythm, for example weekly.

Gaps become visible before they become a problem, well before the IHK exam. We show how learning plan, logbook, and exam prep work together in LearnSlice in a 30-minute demo.

How Do You Switch to a Digital Logbook?

In five steps:

1. Check the training contract. Is the electronic form agreed? If not, ask your chamber how to record the change.
2. Start with a pilot group. A few apprentices and trainers test first, then everyone follows.
3. Brief everyone. One hour is enough to show how to write, review, and approve entries.
4. Set fixed rules. For example: entries by Friday noon, approval by Monday.
5. Ask for feedback after four to six weeks. What works, what does not? Adjust the process.

A digital logbook saves paper, but above all it saves catch-up work before exam registration. Choose a solution that follows the BIBB recommendation, exports completely, and that your trainers will actually use.