News about VET from Germany

Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan (CDU) has called into question the informative value of education studies.

Only few young people use the opportunity of gathering experience abroad during their initial vocational training period. Although the degree of mobility across borders amongst apprentices seems to be increasing of late, it still remains significantly lower than the target numbers passed by the European Commission in November 2011.

"We are the champions" played and sang the band "Under Cover Crew" up on the neon blue lit stage of the Kur- und Konzerthalle Olsberg and 477 newly graduated master craftswomen and craftsmen presented themselves with proud smiles and waving to their relatives and the many guests of honour, as they entered the hall, marched across the stage and down to their seats.

In the opinion of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the dual vocational training system continues to be an excellent instrument – provided that subsequently appropriate importance is given to lifelong learning.

iMOVE published German-Chinese success projects of vocational education and training in a new brochure.

Speexx, the leading online language training provider, has been awarded with the prestigious 2012 Golden Engine Award for Strategically and Sustainably Driving China's Education Industry.

Young skilled labour talent from the Emsland region in Berlin: Federal Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed 15 young Spanish people from Murcia and Albacete, who currently attend a language course in the Emsland region and East Frisia and who then will begin a work placement.

The Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Dr Philipp Rösler, met leading representatives from associations and enterprises at the Internationale Handwerksmesse crafts trade fair in Munich for the dialogue on growth "Innovationsorientiertes Handwerk" (Innovation-oriented Crafts).

The first decisions have been made: With the projects "Look-and-Listen-Map" and "Die Trickser: Taugst du zum Betrüger?" (The Tricksters: Are you fit for being a cheat?) a student from Paderborn University and the company GenoTec GmbH respectively are awarded this year's German E-learning innovation and young talent award D-ELINA in the respective categories "Campus" and "Professional".