Campaign shows how attractive vocational education and training can be

Successful craftsmen and craftswomen are to be used as role models.

"Germany is reliant on young workers with an outstanding level of training. Only with excellent skilled workers in practice can Germany remain a strong economic nation," underlines Hubert Romer, Director of WorldSkills Germany. Using the slogan "Zukunft braucht Bildung", six companies, associations and WorldSkills Germany want to use their campaign to emphasise that dual training is far more attractive than its reputation in society.

Faces of the campaign

The numerous publications on the specially created campaign website have already reached several hundred thousand people by means of social media posts and media work specifically tailored to the partners. Young people and parents can find out about lots of varied and fascinating professions together with their career opportunities while businesses are motivated to invest in training and continuing education themselves.

According to a WorldSkills Germany press release: "Mainly trainees and champions from international competitions make up the face of the campaign, and their clear message is: We’ve achieved a great deal at a young age, and you can’t get anywhere without practitioners like us".

Success stories?

The faces of young, successful skilled workers are intended to encourage others to begin dual training. They can be found on the "Zukunft braucht Bildung" campaign website and also at partners such as the Central Association of the German Construction Industry and the Central Association of the German Motor Trade.

Protecting the level

Central Association of the German Construction Industry spells out the importance of training for the crafts and trades sector: "The construction industry is the engine behind dual training in Germany. Without medium-sized businesses, there would be 80 percent fewer apprentices in the construction industry."

In this context, the sound logic of participating in professional competitions is underlined year after year. "Participants in international competitions demonstrate that training in construction enables Germany to move forward significantly as a country. This makes it clear that vocational education and training in our sector is at the top level internationally."

It is also important for the Central Association of the German Motor Trade to safeguard this high level. "Ultimately, in the future, dealerships and workshops will also need sufficient trainees with a good school-leaving certificate and qualified employees," emphasises spokesperson Claudia Kefferpütz. With approximately 37,000 car businesses operated by master craftsmen, 437,000 employees and around 94,600 trainees, motor vehicle trade is leading the way for training in the crafts and trades sector:

Courage and openness required

In a discussion – including, among others, former Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel – on the topic of "digital change in vocational education and training" Hubert Romer emphasised that the pragmatic and systematic use of digital components in particular is critical for the future of all training occupations.

He explained that while Germany occupies a good mid-level position in international comparisons, the key difference is that "internationally people have the courage to make decisions more quickly – experimentation also occurs. We are lagging behind in this respect. While this stops us making errors, it consistently fails to move us forward." His hope is that the taboos in vocational education and training (VET) can be broken and that we can be more open to international ideas including ideas about rethinking the VET system.

"We still need a lot more of these initiatives," underlines Romer. "Because these benefit the entire economy. We’d therefore already like to thank all partners involved."