News about VET from Germany

Each individual member country of the European Union determines its own education policy. The so-called dual vocational education and training system is effective in Germany, Austria and in Switzerland, to name a few. This form of apprenticeship combines theoretical learning at the vocational college with a long practical phase of training at a business.

In the vernacular they are simply called pool attendants - the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training calls them certified assistants for swimming pools. In the case of the Karlsruhe pools they are all-rounders. Uwe Raih and Reiner Friedrich have been working at the Europabad Karlsruhe since March 2008.

Advanced vocational education and training in Germany conveys sought-after competences, states the country analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

"A lot is happening in winning over apprentices", said Martin Wansleben, Managing Director of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).

Careers within the dual vocational education and training system have seldom been as promising as they are today. Up-to-date and modern vocational education and training regulations are indispensable to this end.

In the context of the International Conference on eLearning in the Workplace (ICELW) 2013, which took place in New York from 12 to 14 June, the global online language learning solution Speexx received the International eLearning Award (Business Division) in the field of "Blended Learning".

There are significant structural differences among European countries in young people's participation in the labour market. The reason is a combination of institutional factors (e.g. formal apprenticeship schemes), cultural determinants, whether there is a job market for students, the role of professional training, etc.

After completing secondary modern school (Hauptschule), Gökhan Öcel did not yet think about going to university, not even during his apprenticeship as a machine engineering mechanic.

The initiative "Erfolgsfaktor Familie" (Success Factor Family) of the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs welcomes a new member: With immediate effect, the Institute for Vocational Education and Training (IBB) will actively support the programme's goal of achieving improved compatibility of family and work in Germany.