Dual higher education study remains on a path of growth as the high degree of interest shown in this special form of training by young people, companies and Universities of Applied Sciences/other institutes of higher education continues unabated. In 2012, the "Training Plus database" operated by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) contained some 64,000 dual study places for initial training.
Compared to the previous year, this represents a rise of 7.5 per cent in the number of young people seeking to begin their career by undertaking company-based training whilst at the same time embarking upon degree-level studies at a University of Applied Sciences, University of Cooperative Education or other institute of higher education.
There was even an increase of approximately 10 per cent in the number of cooperation agreements to run dual courses of study between Universities of Applied Sciences/Universities of Cooperative Education/other institutes of higher education and companies, up from 44 to 50 per course of study.
The high number of cooperation agreements in business administration subjects is particularly noticeable. There are 30,000 such agreements in place, making up around two thirds (65.5 per cent) of all cooperation agreements for dual courses of higher education study.
Attractive form of training
BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser believes that the "Training Plus 2012 in figures" annual report confirms the increased significance of dual courses of higher education study within the scope of company-based human resources development. "The rising number of companies joining forces with institutes of higher education to offer vocational education and training combined with a degree in business administration is a clear signal for the growth in importance of employability skills within the scope of academically-based management training. Companies which offer this attractive form of training also enjoy clear benefits in the race to recruit the most talented young people."
The number of dual courses of study available has also risen further. A total of 1,384 dual courses of higher education study were registered in the "Training Plus" database in 2012. This figure is made up of 910 dual courses for initial training (+3.5 per cent) and 474 dual courses for continuing training. This is the first time that the latter statistic has been systematically included by BIBB, meaning that it is not possible to draw a direct comparison between overall figures from 2011 and 2012.
Above-average rates of growth in engineering subjects
Above-average rates of growth continue to be displayed in engineering subjects. These account for 372 dual courses of study, offering around 17,000 places and distributed across approximately 10,700 cooperation agreements between companies and Universities of Applied Sciences/Universities of Cooperative Education/other institutes of higher education.
The "Training Plus" database records an increase of 24 per cent in dual courses of study in the field of social services, an area which includes social work, long-term care and rehabilitation. There are now 31 dual courses of study providing around 1,900 places in this field.
The area of information technology is, however, bucking the trend. Following an increase of around 18 per cent in the number of dual courses of study in 2011, the past year has seen a fall of some 9 per cent.