New national award for best graduates from "Werkrealschulen" in core elective courses

According to the Minister of Education and Arts of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Mrs. Marion Schick, the new award clearly demonstrates the attractiveness of core elective courses for the economy - Porsche AG, Würth KG and Caritas/Diakonie headline as new cooperation partners.

The concept of the Werkrealschule (a secondary school offering an extension course leading to a qualified leaving certificate, equivalent to GCSE) is modern and future-oriented and it offers students a good job perspective. The three new courses contribute to the employability of future graduates. The ten best graduates of Werkrealschulen will be awarded from 2013 on.

The aim of the award is to raise the awareness of the business sector regarding the attractiveness of these core elective courses. The award is supposed to contribute to the advancement of practice-oriented vocational training at the Werkrealschule, support graduates, job orientation and improve their employability. It also shows that the economy is committed to vocational training issues.

Porsche AG is the cooperation partner for "nature and technology", Würth KG for "economy and IT" and Caritas for "health and social issues".

Today, there are 525 locations of Werkrealschulen in Baden-Wuerttemberg. They allow students to graduate after ten years with a final exam which is equivalent to graduation from Realschule.