Vocational education and training: Germany and Italy work even more closely together

Minister of Education, Johanna Wanka and the Italian Minister for Education Stefania Giannini underline the major significance of vocational education and training. They have extended the corresponding memorandum on cooperation by 3 years.

At a symposium in Villa Vigoni relating to this theme, they underlined the important contribution made by vocational education and training to the employability of young people, to the competitiveness of national economies, and to European Union cohesion.

They added that at the same time, vocational education and training systems were constantly facing the challenge of having to adapt to the requirements of dynamic labour markets. The main focus of the symposium was therefore the cooperation of the 'company' and 'school' learning locations.

Germany's dual system of vocational education and training provides a wealth of experience in learning location cooperation; cooperative company-based vocational education and training is one of the main pillars in the training of skilled workers in Germany.

On the basis of a reform to the Education Act of 2015, the Italian education minister is seeking to achieve increased vocational orientation in school as well as improved transitions between school and the job market, and in doing so is being guided by the German model of dual vocational education and training.

Based on the results of work from the existing corporation and the current reform requirements, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) have agreed specific areas for action in the vocational education and training collaboration.

These include the development and trial of dual education and training models, the qualification of teachers and company trainers, the development of innovative curricula, careers support, closer cooperation with companies - in particular small and medium-sized-enterprises - as well as chambers and unions.

Involvement of business and employees in vocational education and training is a widely practised tradition in Germany which is firmly embedded in German institutions. Many partner countries are interested in using German expertise to support the participation of social partners for their own reform proposals.

The BMBF is therefore supporting the 'VETnet' strategy project at the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and at nine chambers of foreign trade as well as 'Unions4vet' at the Federation of German trade unions (DGB). This will allow expertise from the chambers and unions to have some influence on BMBF vocational education and training cooperation.

The Milan Chamber of Foreign Trade has been supporting German companies with the implementation of company-based occasional education and training for a number of years. The 'VETnet' project involves the development and trial of a cooperative management structure to facilitate the participation of relevant partners in vocational education and training.

As part of 'Unions4VET', the DGB is developing contacts with Italian unions in order to support their participation in the new dual education and training formats by means of advice and qualification.

Following the symposium in Villa Vigoni and the extension of German-Italian VET collaboration, 'Technical Meetings' have been planned within a narrow time frame in order to implement the agreed work priorities in practice.

The Federal Ministry of Education (BMBF) and the Italian Ministry for Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) collaborate regularly in a bilateral working group for vocational education and training.

The cooperation is based on a joint declaration of intent concerning vocational education and training of November 2012 and the Berlin Memorandum of December 2012. The employment ministries of both countries are also involved in the cooperation.