The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) and the Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerks (ZDH, German Confederation of Skilled Crafts) regard inter-company vocational training in the crafts (ÜLU) to be an important element in safeguarding the skilled labour supply in Germany. Recently the BMWi handed over the approval letter for 2012 totalling the amount of 47.4 million euros to ZDH Secretary-General Holger Schwannecke.
On this occasion, Ernst Burgbacher, Parliamentary Secretary of State to the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology and authorised federal government representative for medium-sized businesses and tourism, declared, "In order to remain competitive and maintain its high level of growth and occupation in the future, our economy is dependent on a qualified skilled labour force. Here, the dual vocational training system is of particular significance."
Schwannecke underlined the fact that the funding from the BMWi is in support of businesses and apprentices, "We all need businesses in the crafts to provide vocational training. We invest in specialist and social learning. However, small businesses in particular often are not capable of covering all aspects of a profession in their provision of vocational training. This is where ÜLU comes into effect. The crafts are happy to return this input with its disproportionately high degree of performance in the field of vocational training."
The funding for inter-company training courses serving to convey knowledge and capabilities on the basis of the latest technical and also economical insights has been a proven instrument for many years already and serves also to increase the willingness on part of businesses to provide vocational training. Secretary of State Burgbacher, "Inter-company training courses guarantee the inclusion of current technical developments and a continuously high degree of vocational training quality also in smaller crafts businesses."
As in the previous years, the German crafts industry has accepted 155,000 new apprentices in 2011 in spite of decreasing numbers of school graduates. At present, the Germany-wide uniform range of available training courses comprises some 500 curricula for this form of practical training. The content of the curricula is conceived by the Federal Professional Crafts Associations in cooperation with the Heinz-Piest-Institut für Handwerkstechnik (Institute for Technology in the Crafts) and jointly agreed upon with the federal government.
In 2011, more than 429,000 apprentices participated in some 49,000 ÜLU inter-company training courses. All German federal states contribute towards the funding, with individual cases receiving also contributions from the European Social Fund.