News about VET from Germany

Apprenticeships, too, can launch a career. This applies in particular to young skilled workers, who have achieved a very good graduation result in their industrial training course.

There are only a few well-trained mechanics and a few experts for metal processing in the aviation industry available in West Africa. High-quality specialist training combined with practical experience is almost unknown. The HELOG KG recently launched a project to establish a maintenance training facility in Monrovia.

Since nearly 60 years, the CJD Zehnthof Essen offers education programmes for young and also adult people that are tailored to demand. Of particular importance as well as an invaluable advantage: the co-operation with numerous public body clients, with the chamber of industry and commerce and other businesses that are active within the industry and therefore can offer apprenticeship placements, permanent employment or at least temporary jobs.

The OECD pays tribute to the significance of the dual vocational education and training system in the battle against youth unemployment. A belated insight, thinks education expert Friedrich Esser.

In particular for small and medium-sized enterprises, school grades continue to be an indicator of their applicants' motivation, said Markus Kiss, Head of Department Education and Training Policy at the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).

During a visit to Eichstätt and Ingolstadt, which was organised by Michael Köck, head of the degree course for vocational college teachers at the University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, an Italian delegation was given the opportunity of gathering insights into the German vocational education and training system.

The State Vocational College Illertissen has bid farewell to 154 graduates. The graduates are now embarking on their career in the economy.

At Siemens Professional Education (SPE), young people attain their bachelor degree within 50 months – including the chamber of industry and commerce certificate.

"In practice, there still remain unnecessary obstacles such as entrance examinations", said the German Federal Education Minister Johanna Wanka. "If we were to reduce these, we could surely motivate even more people to attend university." At the same time, the minister demanded opening up the vocational education and training system for university drop-outs.