The further development of vocational education and training - what educational researchers advise

Strengthening the media competence of trainees is one case in Point - researchers from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) give tips for sustainable Training.

The vocational education and training (VET) system is facing a series of major challenges, including digitalisation, the integration of refugees, problems in filling vacancies and many more demands besides. The "2016 BIBB Annual Report" provides a summary of the status quo of dual training and an overview of initiatives and impetuses aimed at the further development of the system.

As far as the topic of "vocational education and Training" is concerned, trainees, trainers, trade unionists and policy makers are all currently facing huge challenges. These include digitalisation, internationalisation, the integration of refugees, the trend towards academisation, and problems in filling vacant training places.

And more bad news is also constantly emerging regarding these trials and tribulations. When presenting the "2017 Report on Vocational Education and Training" in April, for example, Federal Minister of Education Johanna Wanka was forced to report that unfilled training places had reached a new record level of 43,500. Neither are things looking any better on the applicant side. April's new high of training vacancies contrasted with a figure of 20,600 unplaced applicants.

The new "2016 BIBB Annual Report" issued by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training can now reveal how the training market is presently facing up to these challenges. It also points out areas where particular action is required and outlines the possible nature of specific measures for the further development of vocational education and training. BIBB researchers have collated selected data, analyses and programmes relating to current areas of activity.

Here is a brief overview of the information and impetuses relating to the current challenges which the educational researchers provide in their Annual Report.

Status quo of the training market – the data analysis shows that the number of trainees and companies providing training is continuing to decline, especially in the small companies sector, despite high employment and a large amount of vacant positions. According to the latest occupational projections, shortages in the area of specialist tasks will arise by 2035 notwithstanding a growing population and considerable shifts in the qualifications structure of the labour supply.

Further development of the training system – the initiative "Skilled worker qualifications and competences for the digitalised work of the future", for which BIBB and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) are jointly responsible, comprises several projects and has been launched with the aim of achieving a modern and efficient training system and further development of quality in VET.

One obvious task, for example, is to scrutinise the future of IT occupations and overhaul their content and structural elements. Further investigations reveal that media competence is becoming a fourth core skill alongside reading, writing and arithmetic. For this reason, there needs to be a particular emphasis on the further development of this area of competence for teachers at schools and vocational schools and for training staff at companies.

Integration of refugees – a BIBB position paper on the integration of refugees states ten core points with regard to how the areas of potential offered by young refugees can be used as a basis for facilitating access to vocational training and for offering them ongoing support in this process.

A particular focus needs to be placed on making full use of existing regulations for the flexibilisation of dual training, on the further development of funding instruments and concepts tackling everything from vocational orientation to second-chance training, and on combining these approaches with continuous, systematic and occupationally-oriented language support.

Internationalisation – the Federal Government information portal for the recognition of foreign professional and vocational qualifications, which is operated by BIBB, is now available in nine different languages and the five-million visitor mark has been exceeded. A German assistance centre for questions relating to the recognition of foreign professional and vocational qualifications has also been in place at an EU level since last year.

An Apprenticeship Toolbox, a European online instrument which describes the core characteristics of the dual training systems in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark, has also been made available. This also provides original material such as legislative texts and sample training contracts.