As the number of school leavers continues to fall, companies will need to undertake greater endeavours to acquire trainees and secure a supply of young skilled workers. The quality of vocational education and training will play an increasingly significant role in future for companies seeking to present themselves to young people as attractive training providers.
Insofar as initial and continuing training is not statutorily regulated or subject to collective wage agreements, the German Labour Management Relations Act makes provision for works councils to be accorded a series of co-determination rights with regard to the structuring of company-based training measures.
Work processes in the printing and media sector are becoming increasingly complex. Most production processes have changed radically in the wake of the intermeshing of print and electronic media, growing digitisation, and new control technologies. Technologists are needed for running and controlling these processes.
At a meeting held in Bonn on 17 June 2010, the Board of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) - also referred to as the "Parliament of Vocational Education and Training" - unanimously adopted "Guidelines for improving the transition from school to work".
Since October 2010, eleven female pupils of the ninth and tenth grade have seized the opportunity to have a look into the world of technology and get to know various occupations in the technology sector at the "Girls Day Academy" of the secondary school of Immendingen. They received their certificate in a closing event on July 13.
World Skills Germany e.V, the German skills promotion organisation in the field of vocational education and training, will determine the best German trainee in offset printing in a national competition, taking place in Heidelberg from July 18 to 21, 2011. Technique, quality and precision will be crucial during the competition.
"Who wants to see hard-working craftsmen?" is the motto under which the Association for Vocational Education (FAA) invites children from daycare facilities on a regular basis. The children are supposed to gain insight into different trade professions.
Demographic change affects our society and has already led to a shortage of skilled workers in certain segments of the labour market, e.g. medical and educational professions, care professions and the so-called MINT-professions. Therefore it is important to activate and use all potential of qualifications available in the country. Also, Germany aims at becoming more attractive for qualified foreign workers. In order to ease the path of foreign employees into the workforce, Germany's cabinet has now decided upon a "law of improvement of the identification and recognition of professional qualifications obtained abroad".
Six members of the German women's national football team are not only strong players on the football field, but also in the field of vocational training. Inka Grings, Nadine Angerer, Ariane Hingst, Anja Mittag, Melanie Behringer and Martina Müller have taken up courses at the IST-Institute of Studies, because they want to continue their successful job careers after the World Cup and after their professional careers as football players.
