News about VET from Germany

Over the period of the next six months, three "Infomobiles" will be travelling all across Germany to provide information as regards the opportunities provided by vocational training and continuing education.

An A in the exam or winning a competition: The continuing education scholarship is made for the best young talents of a profession. Those applying successfully have at their disposal thousands of euros for seminars, courses and continuing education measures.

The Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology and Federal Government Commissioner for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses and Tourism, Ernst Burgbacher, inaugurated the new Singen-based Academy of Education of the Chamber of Crafts Konstanz, together with Peter Friedrich, Baden-Württemberg Minister for Europe.

The crafts may well be regarded as one of the most important stakeholders for the successful transformation of the energy supply system.

Youth unemployment in Spain is at 46 per cent, in Italy at roughly 30 per cent. Alarming numbers, prompting the labour ministers of the G20 countries in 2011 to present a catalogue for combatting youth unemployment.

The European Agenda for Adult Learning emphasises the role of adult learning as a strong link in the chain of lifelong learning.

Unemployment amongst young people is about to become a dangerous time bomb. In Greece, Portugal and Spain, already about half of all young people (15 to 24 years of age) are without employment or vocational training.

The "American way" of self-made professional advancement has branched out to Germany. At the beginning of this year, the federal government set a much overdue signal as regards the value of vocational training.

The education system needs to become more equal, permeable and sustainable. In a joint position paper, the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH) and Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Alliance '90/The Greens) have mapped out goals and measures to prepare the vocational training system to meet the challenges of the skilled labour shortage.