In order to provide today's young people with practically related training and with a good foundation for their future working lives, the contents of dual training occupations, which number approximately 350, need to be kept completely up-to-date at all times and aligned to the work processes and requirements within companies.
Who actually decides, however, whether and when an "old" occupation should be updated or even if a new occupation should be developed and what the designation of such a new occupation should be? How does this modernisation or restructuring process take place? And who determines what the young people will learn in each of their years of training and what they will need to demonstrate in their final examinations? Answers to these questions and more besides are supplied by the new Federal Institute for Vocational Education (BIBB) brochure "Vocational Training Regulations and the Process Behind Them".
The latest and 5th edition of this publication provides information on the procedure for the development of training occupations, a process unique in the world. Training regulations form the basis for training in the dual system. They are developed under the lead management of BIBB working in conjunction with specialists in company practice who are nominated by umbrella employers' associations and trade unions and with experts from the Federal Government and the Federal States.
A total of 208 training occupations have been given new regulations over the past ten years. Of these, 45 were created for the first time and 163 were updated. This year has seen the enactment of one new training occupation and the modernisation of 16 others.
Most young people in Germany, just under two thirds of each age cohort, begin such an apprenticeship after completion of schooling. Around 1.6 million young people across the country are currently undergoing vocational training of this type and developing into the skilled workers of tomorrow who are so urgently required.
The dual system in Germany enjoys a high degree of regard worldwide due to the unique way in which it combined theory and practice at the two learning venues of the vocational school and the company. BIBB's decision to issue the present brochure in an English language version is a reflection of the need to take this increasing demand from abroad into account.
Both the German and English editions of the brochures complete with printable images of their title pages are available for download free of charge at http://www.bibb.de/veroeffentlichungen/en/publication/latest