Industrial mechanics in training on German-Slovakian pilot project
Slovakia is among the six European countries with which the Federal Ministry for Education and Research has signed an agreement for cooperation, in the field of bilateral vocational education and training.
The new Slovakian Vocational Education and Training Act came into force in April last year, which meant that from September 2015, the first classes were able to begin a four-year course, with 60 per cent of their time spent on-the-job.
This was the motivation for the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training and the German-Slovak Chamber of Industry and Commerce to launch a pilot project in Nové Mesto in Bratislava, together with Slovakian partners.
In this project, 26 industrial mechanics and construction mechanics have been training in small and medium-sized enterprises, since September. They will receive both a upper secondary school leaving certificate and a vocational qualification.
"This pilot project is intended to be a forerunner and to demonstrate to other companies that it pays to invest in dual training," said Georg Schütt, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. "For young people, the training course in Nové Mesto offers a high quality qualification, with good career prospects – so it's a good alternative to a degree."
The Slovakian Ministry of Education would like to continue to draw upon German advice and expertise, and to set up other joint projects. Secretary of State Schütte and the Slovakian Minister of Education, Juraj Draxler, have signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect.