West German apprenticeship combined with part-time vocational schooling--the dual system--provides a smooth transition from school into careers for German youth. One source of complexity in the structure of apprenticeship is the relationship between apprenticeship, which is controlled nationally, and vocational schooling, which is controlled by the states. Not all occupations are authorized as training or apprenticeable occupations, nor do all companies train apprentices. Vocational schools, the second part of the dual system, teach both occupational and general courses. The focal point for most of what happens in vocational schools is the qualifying exam, which employers help to write, administer, and grade. Vocational schools are distinctive from U.S. secondary schools in their intense focus on employment-related learning and in being less important as centers of social interaction. Secondary vocational training prepares qualified skilled workers, comparable to participants in U.S. apprenticeship programs. Limitations of the West German system are its inherent "undemocratic-ness," the narrowness of apprenticeship training, and employers' control. Implications for the United States are that (1) the floundering period (during which students decide on their occupation) is avoidable, (2) vocational education can be improved by upgrading technical quality or altering its purpose to manual training, and (3) learning needs to occur in the workplace. (YLB)