Vocational education and training (VET) is a major policy topic for countries all over the world, who are eager to learn from the best examples where participation in VET is high and youth unemployment is low. Policymakers want to know how strong VET systems manage challenges like rapid technological change, matching labor market demand for…

The German Dual System is a model educational and employment approach that other nations could emulate. The ability of young apprentices to work and study at the same time to gain both practical and theoretical skills leads to more meaningful education and decreased dropout and youth unemployment rates. The collaboration of the government,…

Germany is one of a handful of Western European nations (including Austria and the Netherlands) that maintains a highly-differentiated educational system in which secondary level students are sorted into different schools on the basis on their perceived scholastic abilities. Despite the numerous political and cultural shifts in Germany over the…

Inquiries into vocational education and training (VET) systems are normally characterised by looking at institutions and steering mechanisms. That aside, however, it is culture which underlies both the practice and the theory as well as the policy of VET in various countries. Specific problems arise when it comes to harmonising VET systems through…

Understanding today's Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems requires a comprehension of the rise and development, i.e. of the foundations of topical VET. This book provides a comparative view of its development in Europe. The contributions of renowned authors give insight into conceptual questions, cases, and challenges in this field.

Despite the heavy investments in the economic development of East German industry, the region still faces immanent structural challenges that affect the provision of vocational education and training (VET), in particular apprenticeships, and the availability of a well skilled workforce. In this article the situation of the economy as well as new…

In Germany, a remarkable number of young people leave school with the qualification required for entrance to higher education ("Abitur") but do not actually go on to university. Instead, these young people--known in German as "Abiturienten"--start an apprenticeship within what is known in Germany as the "Dual-System".…

Discusses Germany's apprenticeship program, examines the emerging concept of cognitive apprenticeship, and proposes an integration of the cognitive and traditional apprenticeship methods. (SR)

AN INTENSIVE STUDY OF TWO SAMPLES DRAWN FROM ONE GEOGRAPHIC AREA IN EACH OF FOUR COUNTRIES AIMED TO DETERMINE THE TRAINING AND JOB HISTORIES OF SKILLED WORKERS IN THE METAL TRADES AND THE RESULTS OBTAINED BY DIFFERENT TRAINING SYSTEMS. THE COUNTRIES WERE SELECTED TO REPRESENT (1) PREDOMINANTLY SCHOOL-BASED TRAINING (BELGIUM), (2) HIGHLY REGULATED…

After briefly summarizing major policy concerns and different perspectives on the relationship between training and work, this report discusses three main modes of vocational training: school-based training, apprenticeship, and training of employees. The goals and ideologies connected with these modes and the national systems that exemplify them…

In June 1993, a symposium was held in New York City, Albany, Rochester, and Long Island to introduce the German "dual system" of education and training for youth making the school-to-work transition. Four representatives of the German education and training system and more than 500 representatives of New York's business, labor,…

The dual system of vocational training is a joint government-industry program and part of the general educational system in Germany. It provides hands-on training in private businesses coupled with specialized instruction in public vocational schools at no cost to students. The objective of the dual system is to provide young people with the best…

The German education and training system has been shaped by a variety of philosophical, pedagogical, economic, political, and societal ideas and events during its historical development. Its main features and trends can be traced back for at least a century; they have proven to be stable and resistant to major changes. The hierarchical structure…

The German education system is the responsibility of the 16 federal states. The federal government plays the leading role in regularizing the on-the-job section of occupational training in the dual system. Other forms of occupational training are full-time vocational schools and further full-time vocational training schools. The on-the-job part of…

This report updates 1979 studies of European practice in catering training and education. Section 1 provides background. Section 2 describes the structure of West German federal and state government and their respective responsibilities for vocational education and training, including the dual system of apprentice training and the role played in…