Coalition agrees to more funding for vocational education and training

According to the resolution of the Budget Committee, the original allocation of €59 million to support inter-company training instruction courses is set to increase to €70 million. This means the German federal government will then be covering one third of the costs in future with another third being co-funded by the federal states.

According to coalition plans, the "Berufliche Bildung – Fortbildungseinrichtungen [VET – advanced training institutions]" programme is to be increased by a further €5 million to €38 million. "This is good news above all for school leavers who are being given new opportunities as a result of this," says Green party rapporteur Felix Banaszak.

It is also a sign, he explains, that the coalition is seeking to strengthen vocational education and training compared to the academic route. "We don't just need more Masters graduates, we also need more master craftsmen and women," says Banaszak, adding that strong craft trades are needed if we want to create a sustainable economy. The plans met with the approval of the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW).

"Inter-company vocational training centres make a significant contribution to safeguarding the training activities of small and medium-sized enterprises and to ensuring the supply of skilled workers in Germany," says Hans-Jürgen  Völz, chief economist at the BVMW. The increased funding for the programme, he explains, is therefore an "important signal from the traffic light coalition". However, there needs to be a greater focus on reducing bureaucracy, as funding often gets held up by red tape.