News about VET from Germany

Katrin Altpeter, Social Affairs Minister of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg, perceives home economics as an occupation for the future and therefore campaigns for greater social acknowledgement of the home economics professions.

The availability of well-qualified staff presents a challenge for companies worldwide. Practice-oriented vocational education and training from Germany can solve occupational qualification issues. The iMOVE B2B marketplace promotes collaboration opportunities and facilitates business contacts in this field.

Why Portugal's Education Minister Nuno Crato wants to import the dual system.

Hardly anybody knows their occupation, yet almost everybody knows their work: geomatics engineers are the heads behind the navigation system in the car, the world map above the kitchen table and the bicycle trail map on the front rack.

The chambers of industry and commerce, the chambers of crafts and the economic chambers in Germany, Luxemburg and Austria now have issued a joint declaration in favour of increased European educational co-operation throughout Europe.

After Spain and Portugal, Italy now is likewise interested in the dual vocational education and training system. In Naples, Federal Labour Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her Italian colleague Elsa Fornero have signed a memorandum, which provides for exporting the successful German apprenticeship model to Italy.

This year, the "First European Elephant Management School" celebrates its tenth anniversary. What sounds like a strange continuing education course for thick-skinned managers and corporate grey eminences, is a programme for elephant keepers from all over the world.

In an international survey, 80 per cent of respondent human resources (HR) executives stated that today, their employees have to undergo continuing education more often and faster than only five years ago.

The 5th "Röpke Symposium", which took place in December 2012 in Düsseldorf, criticised the belief in academic education which persists in policy and institutions and called for greater appreciation of vocational training in Germany.