AI emerging as key VET competence in Germany

With this award, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) annually honours innovative projects in VET. For 2025, the BIBB focuses on projects in VET that successfully and innovatively integrate AI within the apprenticeship training. This reflects the growing influence across many areas of dual VET, from career guidance and everyday vocational training to in-company further training and the modernisation of apprenticeship regulations.

Policy-driven AI strategy

In 2018, the German government launched the National AI Strategy, aiming to become a global leader in AI.

One of the twelve fields of action focuses on transforming apprenticeships and the world of work through AI. Measures such as learning and experimentation spaces and regional future centers aim to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in implementing AI.

The primary focus is on developing AI skills, as a lack of AI skills is seen as a major barrier to AI adoption (2024 OECD report on the implementation of the National AI Strategy). From the perspective of vocational school teachers, both their students and their own skills deficits, remain a significant concern, as highlighted by the School Barometer published in June 2025.

AI in apprenticeships

Various projects and initiatives are already demonstrating how AI is being integrated into education and training processes to individualise learning, simulate production processes and support trainers.

The AI Campus, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, is a digital learning platform that uses AI to personalise learning content. It targets all learning groups, from apprentices and trainers to teachers. They can, among other things, take the course ‘Introduction to AI for Work and Apprenticeships’, which focuses on practical applications. 

By 2024, AI solutions and strategies for various industries had been tested in 'testing grounds' as part of the national AI initiative 'New Quality of Work'. One such testing ground is the AI-supported learning platform SmaLeTax (Smart Learning Taxes). This aims to make apprenticeships in tax consulting professions fit for the future.

The KI4CoLearnET competence model uses AI to develop interactive learning media. Building on this model, AI-supported teaching and learning concepts, an expert system and a modular toolkit have been created to facilitate self-directed and adaptive learning, especially in the energy technology sector. These recources are openly available via Moodle with H5P (HTML5 Package) integration. The project specially targets professionals in the VET sector and employees of SMEs in the energy technology cluster. Led by the Ausbildungsverbund Teltow e. V. (AVT) in cooperation with multiple partners, the project aims to link digitalisation and sustainability within VET.

As part of the InnoVET project KI B³ 'Bringing Artificial Intelligence into VET', new learning formats and additional qualifications for AI were developed. Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKs) in Baden-Württemberg, among others, now offer educational programmes with IHK certificates in AI tailored to different target groups. For example, commercial and industrial apprentices participated in the pilot project Additional qualification 'AI and machine learning'.

Keyhole: AI skills

AI has arrived at the heart of the world of apprenticeships and work, as shown by the Tech Compass 2025 on the future importance of AI skills recently published by the German technology group Bosch. In addition to self-study, significant importance is placed on integrating these skills in school curricula.

In order to identify AI-related skill demands, the Observatory for Artificial Intelligence in Work and Society has been tasked with anticipating the impact of AI on work and society and identifying areas requiring action at an early stage.