Duale Berufsausbildung in der Dienstleistungs- und Wissensökonomie

Abstract

The article deals with the future prospects of the dual system of initial vocational education and training (VET) in Germany in the service and knowledge economy. Facing challenges by the knowledge economy the question is, whether the German VET system is still an appropriate system of vocational training. Is the German dual VET system too inflexibly attached to industrial and craft production and therefore becomes more and more irrelevant to the prospering sectors and growing occupations of the knowledge economy? The present article discusses the above thesis critically and - based on empirical data by the Federal Statistical Office and the Federal Employment Agency - examines if such tendencies are actually apparent. Empirical results on the level of sector and occupational specific macro data on structural development of employment and apprenticeship do not support for the general validity of these thesis. It is true that there is a backlog demand for further adjustment in the VET system particularly with regard to the growing area of knowledge occupations, but with the modernization of the dual VET system since the middle of the 90’s its stabilization in modern service occupations has been obtained.