News about VET from Germany

The dual system of vocational training is becoming a sought-after product all around the world: Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Education Minister Johanna Wanka hosted a conference to highlight experiences from around the globe with Germany's dual system of vocational training.

The German industry relies on well-qualified employees. According to a new study, between June 2011 and April 2012 alone, 49 per cent of the working age population have made use of offers of continuing education. This is the highest level of participation in continuing education since 1979.

"We cannot and we must not accept the fact that young people feel they do not stand a chance in Europe", emphasised Martin Wansleben, Chief Executive of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), in a speech at the European Parliament.

The German Bundestag has decided on a national benchmark for internationalising the vocational education and training system. In 2020, a minimum of 10 per cent of apprentices are to gain work experience abroad during their apprenticeship term.

The partners associated within the "National Pact for Career Training and Skilled Manpower Development in Germany" have raised awareness for the "Apprenticeship Placement Day" and the numerous offers of information for employers as well as for young people.

On occasion of the federal government's Second Demography Summit, the German Federal Minister of Economics Philipp Rösler highlighted the significance of a sufficiently large number of skilled professionals.

According to the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, gender distribution has hardly changed since 2005. However, women prove to be more flexible than men. They are more likely to decide on a male-dominated job than vice versa.

"Blended Learning in Prison" (BLiS) has received the Xenos Stabilisation Award. The award recognises the work of the Institute for Education in the Information Society (IBI), an independent institute at the Technische Universität Berlin.

In the recently published business report by the German Federal Employment Agency it is printed black on white: "The acquisition of professional qualifications remains the first and foremost goal." It states that the long-term and sustained integration of low-qualified people will continue to play a central part in the coming years.