The German Federal State of Rhineland Palatinate and the German-speaking Community in Belgium are seeking to expand vocational education and training across the border.
An agreement to this effect was signed in Trier on Monday. According to a statement issued by the Rhineland Palatinate Ministry of Labour in Mainz, future measures will include full recognition of journeyman examinations in craft trade occupations such as joiner via a "bi-diploma" process.
There will also be joint continuing vocational training courses and cross-border practical placements as part of training. Oliver Paasch, Prime Minister of the Government of the German-speaking Community in Belgium, stated that the bilateral agreement could make "an important contribution" towards countering the shortage of skilled workers.
The Rhineland Palatinate Minister of Labour, Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler, said that a further aim of the agreement was to improve the occupational mobility of cross-border workers via closer collaboration between labour administration authorities.
The major region located between the Mosel, Rhine, Maas and Saar Rivers is home to just over eleven million people.
In November 2014, an agreement to support cross-border vocational education and training was concluded in Trier. Bilateral agreements are now specifically instigating projects.