Hanna Korsun

National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEM IN GERMANY

All over the world Germany is known to be one of the European countries in which learning on the job is a traditional component of the education system. All vocational education and training (VET) is aimed at develop comprehensive professional competence in the occupation. Vocational training in Germany is guided not only by the requirements of the labour market, but also by the need for individuals to acquire skills, knowledge and competences that enable them to prove themselves on the labour market.

The main challenges facing VET systems today are change in industrial life, increased personal mobility, globalization, technological advances and demographic change. The permeability of the education system is steadily being improved and existing barriers between individual areas of education are being dismantled, so that qualifications in one area can constitute entry to another, and learning content already acquired does not have to be lived and learned again.

Well-known scientists emphasize that there is a rapid progress with the development of an interdisciplinary National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in Germany, to make it easier for qualifications and learning outcomes to be recognized across all areas of education.

In Europe, Germany is concerned to ensure that VET provision can be linked internationally. It should be possible for qualifications and competences acquired in the German VET system to be put to use in the labour markets and education systems of other countries without obstacles, particularly within Europe. The creation of European instruments such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) will make a substantial contribution to realizing this [2].

Responsibility for educational oversight in Germany lies primarily with the states while the federal government only has a minor role. Training programs are designed on the principle that they should be as broad as possible and as specific as necessary.

School and career guidance and counseling programs aim to help students to be more informed and better educated for their career choices. Usually programs offer information on high school course offerings, career options, the type of academic and occupational training needed to succeed in the workplace. But we should not forget about informing them on postsecondary opportunities that are associated with their field of interest.

In Germany, the 16 states (Länder) have the exclusive responsibility in the field of education. The federal parliament and the federal government can influence the educational system only by financial aid (on state level). Therefore, there are many different school systems; however, in every state the first stage for children is Grundschule (elementary school) for a period of 4 years.

In contrast, secondary education includes four types of schools based on a pupil's ability as determined by teacher recommendations: the Gymnasium includes the most gifted children and prepares students for university studies; the Realschule has a broader range of emphasis for intermediary students; the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education, and the Gesamtschule or comprehensive school combines the three approaches. In order to enter a university, high school students are required to take the Abitur examination, however students possessing a diploma from a vocational school may also apply to enter.

A special system of apprenticeship called Duale System of Education allows pupils in vocational training to study in a company as well as in a state-run school.

The most significant reform in VET on tertiary level (Fachhochschule) was the introduction of dual study courses in the late nineties. The four types of dual qualification pathways and study courses are directed at different target groups, namely, at people interested in an initial vocational education and training, on the one hand, and at people interested in continuing education and training, on the other.

Young people with a higher education entrance qualification can (1) either acquire a dual system qualification during the first stage of their study course and then continue with a placement on a part-time basis related to the subjects being studied, or (2) they can practice an occupation on a part-time basis during the course (study course with integrated practical component).

There are another two types of dual study courses which come under continuing education and training: (3) People who have acquired vocational training qualifications and do or do not have a higher education entrance qualification, and who generally combine their study course from the start with a part-time company placement. (4) People who have completed vocational training and who do or do not have a higher education entrance qualification can also choose a study course with a parallel full-time job. Dual study courses are a major step forward in bringing education on tertiary level closer to the world of work and in opening access to tertiary studies for those who started on the vocational track on secondary level.

Although Germany has had a history of a strong educational system, recent PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) student assessments demonstrated a weakness in certain subjects. In the test of 31 countries in the year 2000, Germany ranked 21st in reading and 20th in both mathematics and the natural sciences, prompting calls for reform [3].

After all of those schools mentioned before the graduates can start a professional career with an apprenticeship in the Berufsschule (vocational school). The Berufsschule is normally attended twice a week during a two, three, or three-and-a-half year apprenticeship; the other days are spent working at a company. This should bring the student knowledge of theory and practice. Notice that the apprenticeship can only be started if a company accepts the apprentice. After this she/he will be registered on a list at the Industrie und Handelskammer IHK (board of trade). During the apprenticeship she/he is a part-employee of the company and receives a salary from the company. After successful passing of the Berufsschule and the exit exams of the IHK, she/he receives a certificate and is ready for a professional career up to a low management level.

Since the end of World War II, the number of youths entering universities has more than tripled, but university attendance still lags behind many other European nations. This is partly because of the dual education system, with its strong emphasis on apprenticeships.

It is obvious that the education system in the Federal Republic of Germany has two features which distinguish it from the education systems of most other industrialized nations:

· There are three or four parallel but separate types of school at the lower secondary level, preceded by a common primary school.

· The ‘dual’ form of vocational training is very important. Its main function is to supply skilled workers through in-company training.

In Germany schools, universities and institutes of higher education are usually State institutions. Private educational institutions - for which there are special Länder laws governing licensing, recognition and financial support - play a subordinate role in terms of the number of pupils and students. All schools are free.

Teachers are hired by the Ministry of Education for the state and usually are employed for life after a certain period. A parents' council is elected to voice the parents' views to the school's administration. Each class elects one or two "Klassensprecher" (class presidents, if two are elected usually one is male and the other female), the class presidents meet several times a year as the "Schülerrat" (students' council). A team of school presidents is also elected by the students each year, the school presidents' main purpose is organizing school parties, sports tournaments and the like for their fellow students.

In all Länder general education is followed by vocational school - usually three years - for young people who do not go on to full-time higher general education.

Vocational training has two main aims in Germany: firstly, to provide young people with a basis for a successful career and thus contribute to their personal development, and secondly to satisfy the demands of businesses for various skills and thus serve economic policy interests.

There is a close link between training and employment opportunities.

· The labour market demands higher qualifications. Knowledge and skills help to secure jobs. In contrast, the demand for semi-skilled and unskilled labour has been falling steadily in recent years.

· Training encourages readiness to learn. Today, training is essential for anyone who, faced with the fast pace of technological change and worldwide restructuring, wants to maintain their level of job performance or engage in a skilled occupation.

· Learning in a work environment promotes personal development, in particular independence, self-esteem, teamwork and general work ethics and motivation.

The VET system provides initial vocational training, promotes career development through further training and gives suitable candidates the chance to acquire qualifications up to the university entrance certificate.

There are a number of other training courses which take place in educational establishments apart from the dual system of vocational training, particularly in the occupational fields of business and administration, health and home economics. Usually specialized vocational schools offer three-year courses leading to vocational qualifications – most of them are usually governed by Länder legislation – which for various reasons cannot be acquired in the dual system.

Full-time specialized vocational schools are quantitatively less important and provide vocational qualifications that can also be acquired in the dual system.

In addition there are full-time specialized vocational schools which do not confer vocational qualifications, but only basic vocational training in a specific occupational field. This period of training can be credited to trainees if they enter the dual system, shortening the length of training in this system. Some students see this form of full-time specialized vocational school as a ‘stopgap’ until they can start another course of training, usually in the dual system.

Universities, institutes of higher education and specialised institutions of higher education also provide occupational qualifications. A pre-condition for enrolment at this level of education is the general or specialized university entrance certificate, which is usually acquired after 13 years of school. University courses are meant to be completed in four years. The actual average duration of studies is about six years, however. Enrolment in a specialized institution of higher education requires the certificate of aptitude for specialized short-course higher education. This can usually be acquired after a 12-year course of education, for example at a higher technical school or a college school.

Because of the educational policy of equivalence for vocational and general education, recent Länder regulations make it possible to enroll in this level of education with a vocational training certificate and a certificate of further training to master craftsman or supervisory level, depending on certain other criteria.

On the regional level the autonomous administrative organizations of industry, the ‘competent bodies’, have considerable powers. The competent bodies include about 83 chambers of trade and industry for the industrial sector, about 56 chambers of handicrafts for the craft trades, and the appropriate professional boards for the liberal professions in the Länder. The tasks of the competent bodies are to ensure the suitability of training centres, monitor training in enterprises, support vocational training with advice to training enterprises, instructors and trainees, to establish and maintain a list of training contracts, and to institute the system of examinations and hold final examinations.

The competent bodies also have vocational training committees, which are made up of six representatives each from employers, employees and vocational school teachers, who have to be notified of and consulted on important matters of vocational training. These bodies can establish legal requirements for the implementation of vocational training in their fields.

The development of vocational training and the dual system is again being hotly discussed in Germany. Apart from the sustainability of the dual system of vocational training for Germany as a production site, the vocational training debate focuses on aspects of the European dimension.

One of the main problems currently facing the dual system is the provision of sufficient training opportunities. In 1998, approximately 636 000 openings were available for approximately 648 000 candidates. Thus supply does not meet demand. In spite of an increase in the number of training openings in comparison with the previous year, the growing number of candidates could not all be accommodated. In November 1998 the new federal government introduced a 'Crash Program for the Reduction of Unemployment among Young People - Training, Qualification and Employment of Young People', to provide 100 000 young people with initial training, supplementary qualifications or employment. Before the end of March 1999, over 50 000 young people had been helped to find places of training or work. In addition, the federal and Lander governments have agreed to a new crash program to combat the shortage of training places in eastern Germany. It is designed to create 17 500 additional training places, beginning in the autumn. [1]

Vocational schools on upper secondary level are organized in the form of school centers, all different types are „under one roof": vocational foundation year, part-time vocational school, specialized vocational full-time school, vocationally oriented grammar school, specialized institute. Both initial and continuing VET are offered, but only CVET leading to state recognized vocational qualifications. The curricula comprise general and vocational subjects.

School centers are organized on a regional basis (in big cities locally) and by occupational fields. Most of the schools are public; with the Berufsfachschulen (full-time specialized schools) some 15% are private.

Up to now there is little autonomy in management; schools do not have their own budget. There is no autonomy in setting curricula, these are set on Länder level. Within the recent years schools have started delivering additional qualifications to the standard qualifications.

Employers and employees, and their organizations (employers' associations and trade unions) naturally take a great interest in vocational training and in influencing the way it is structured and run. Their interest has been taken into account by and large through legislation stipulating that employer and employee representatives be present in equal numbers in all institutions and committees dealing with vocational training issues and that they have more or less equal weight in these. This applies on federal level to the Board of the Federal Institute for Vocational Training, to the Land committees for vocational training, to the vocational training committees of the competent bodies as well as to the examination committees of the competent bodies.

On federal level the Board of the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB) is advising the Federal Government on all Vocational Education and Training issues.

The BIBB is a public R&D institute, legally established (Vocational Training Act) and funded by the Ministry of Education and Research; its annual work programme is approved by the four-partite Board where representatives of employers, unions, the Federal Government and the Länder work together. The main issues dealt with by the Board are the provision of training places, development and adaptation of qualifications offered in the dual system as well as the quality of training and the co-operation between companies and schools. The work of the BIBB focuses on carrying out surveys and analyses, providing training statistics as well as the annual official VET report, monitoring and evaluating national programmes and pilot schemes. On behalf of the government, is also preparing training regulations.

The Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB) acts in an advisory capacity in this matter. The qualifications are developed on the basis of a procedure approved by all the parties, facilitated by the BIBB. Both the interests of the sector-based associations and the umbrella organisations of industry are coordinated, and the basic syllabuses for the part-time vocational schools are aligned in terms of schedules and programmes with the training regulations for in-company training. Formally, responsibility for adapting the qualifications to changing requirements and/or new goals lies with the Federal Government. However, the opinion of the social partners carries considerable weight in the decision on when and how to adapt a qualification.

Social partners are also represented in the tripartite organs of the Federal Employment Agency (Administrative Board, Board of Directors and administrative committees). In these bodies they co-decide inter alia on other youth programmes in IVET.

In accordance with the Vocational Training Act, the Land committees for vocational training (Landesausschüsse für berufliche Bildung) are made up of an equal number of employer representatives, employee representatives and members of the highest Land authority. It is their task to advise their respective Land government on all matters concerning vocational training which arise for their Land. Above all, in the interests of uniform vocational training, they must help to foster cooperation between vocational training conducted in schools and that in enterprises as well as taking account of vocational training in any re-organization and further development of the school system.

Finally we can summarize that it is very important for young apprentices in Germany to receive good vocational education and training. There are often several pathways to learn an occupation, and often different ones are attempted until vocational training is successfully concluded. A number of young people participates in a measure organized by the Federal Employment Agency or by some other special program after leaving school.

References:

1) Bernd Christopher. The Vocational Education and Training System in the Federal Republic of Germany. - Federal Institute of Vocational Training. European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training – CEDEFOP, 2005

2) U.Hippach-Schneider, M.Krause, Ch.Woll Vocational education and training in Germany Cedefop Panorama series; 138. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2007

3) Schülerzahlen Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland. Retrieved 2007, 07-20