Vocational Training In Germany Research Articles

Assisted Vocational Training in Germany: Individual Support for Disadvantaged Young People in their Transition to Vocational Training

This paper describes the development and implementation of Assisted Training (Assistierte Ausbildung, AsA) in Germany. The instrument was developed to offer disadvantaged young people positive experiences in training, the transition from school to vocational training and support them on successfully completing their training. The AsA offers a comprehensive, holistic approach. It contains elements of individual vocational and educational counselling, classic tutoring during vocational school lessons, life counselling for psychosocial problems and mediation in conflicts between the training partners (school, company, chamber) and the young people. In particular, young people with specific learning and social difficulties are addressed. The goal is the successful completion of the training and, thereafter a transition to an appropriate occupation, to long-term decent employment. This article shows that young people, as well as vocational counsellors, guidance counsellors and companies consider the AsA as an effective instrument in providing support on the way to a completed apprenticeship. Nevertheless, the article reveals areas that need to be improved so that more young people could benefit from AsA. Thus, young people with learning problems could receive support for vocational school, and those with weak German language skills could receive tuition. <strong>Abstrakt</strong> Denna artikel beskriver utvecklingen och genomförandet av assisterad utbildning (Assistierte Ausbildung, AsA) i Tyskland. AsA har utvecklats för att möjliggöra positiva erfarenheter för missgynnade ungdomar – under utbildningens gång, vid övergången från skola till yrkesutbildning, och/eller vid utbildningens slut. AsA erbjuder ett omfattande och holistiskt tillvägagångssätt: det innehåller inslag av individuell studie- och yrkesvägledning, handledning under yrkesutbildningens lektioner, rådgivning vid psykosociala problem och medling i konflikter mellan utbildningspartnerna (skola, företag) och ungdomarna. Åtgärden riktas i första hand mot unga människor med särskilda inlärningssvårigheter och sociala svårigheter. Målet är att utbildningen ska slutföras och att en övergång till ett lämpligt yrke och en långsiktig sysselsättning ska bli möjlig. Som framgår i artikeln har flera utvärderingsstudier visat att såväl ungdomar som vägledare och företag anser att AsA är en viktigt åtgärd, som på ett effektivt sätt kan stödja en avslutad lärlingsutbildning. Artikeln uppmärksammar även hur AsA kan förbättras, så att fler ungdomar kan dra nytta av denna åtgärd. Ungdomar med inlärningssvårigheter får stöd inför yrkesskolan, och ungdomar med svaga kunskaper i tyska får stöd i undervisningen. <strong>Nyckelord:</strong> missgynnade ungdomar; Assisterad yrkesutbildning; Övergång; Individuellt stöd

Challenges in the Digitization of Apprenticeships during the Coronavirus Pandemic: Who Needs Special Assistance?

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all areas of life, including everyday working life. Apprentices are often affected two-fold by the lockdown—school closures make it difficult to learn the theoretical content, while restrictions in the company affect practical work. This article reports the findings of an online mixed-method survey among 167 apprentices on the impacts of the pandemic on dual vocational training in Germany. In the survey, Likert scales were presented visually in a way that was particularly suitable for adolescents. The results show that the schools have had gaps in terms of equipment and online instruction. There was little or no online teaching, and the apprentices had hardly any contact with teachers and were left to work on the material on their own. The majority of apprentices expected their school performance to deteriorate as a consequence of the pandemic. The individual comments in response to open-ended questions also suggest that the digital offerings of vocational schools were inadequate during the first lockdown. At the same time, there were major differences in individual hardware equipment, such as computers, and in the apprentices’ Internet access. The gender differences are particularly interesting, as women tended to be at a disadvantage.

The impact of skills and training on local development

The impact of skills and training on local development

Academic skills and work readiness among trainees in the lower segment of vocational training in Germany – are there universal criteria?

ABSTRACT Criteria lists of academic skills are widely used to assess the work readiness of people who are looking to enter or re-enter the apprenticeship market. These instruments represent a particular hurdle in the path to vocational training for low-skilled would-be trainees. We investigate the validity of one such list used in Germany. As different workplaces have diverse requirements, we question whether the same criteria hold for various professions. The study surveyed 538 trainees enrolled in vocational training programmes in eight different professions. Participants were asked about the requirements of their professions with respect to the minimum standards (as specified in the German Catalogue of Criteria for Apprenticeship Readiness) for work readiness. The results showed that the trainees consider the requirements during training to be lower than the minimum standards specified in the German Catalogue of Criteria for Apprenticeship Readiness and that substantial heterogeneity in requirements exists both between and within professions. We argue that criteria lists, which are also used in other countries in similar ways, should be treated with caution, as they might not be able to predict would-be trainees’ readiness to successfully complete an apprenticeship programme due to enormous variability in job requirements.

Dualisation as Class Conflict: The Case of Labour Market and Vocational Training in Germany

Popular accounts of labour market reforms in Western Europe have identified a process of dualisation over the last three decades, whereby service sector employ-ment has been deregulated while workers in the core manufacturing sector still en-joy high levels of employment protection and high wages. Two different labour market logics are thought to be in place between core and peripheral sectors and to co-exist in a stable equilibrium nurtured by the co-incidence of interests between capital and labour in core manufacturing sector, who jointly acted to safeguard workers in core sectors at the expense of peripheral service sectors. Building on the case studies of labour market and vocational training reform in Germany, this ar-ticle challenges this account. It is argued that processes of dualisation are best conceptualised as the contested outcome of a political conflict between capital and labour. Dualisation is not a stable equilibrium but rather the result of bargain-ing processes between employers who push for liberalization and unions who try to prevent it or - at least - mitigate it.

The development and cultural foundations of dual apprenticeships – a comparison of Germany and Switzerland

ABSTRACT Referring to historical debates and theories on vocational education and training (VET) since the 19th century and developments up to the present day, this paper considers the cultural conditions that were relevant for the emergence and legitimisation of vocational education and training and, in particular, the dual principle of apprenticeships in Germany and Switzerland. With reference to the theories of German Vocational Education Theory that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and the concept of vocation (Beruf), i.e. the merging of occupation-based work and education, as it was propagated in particular by Georg Kerschensteiner, the development and establishment of dual vocational training in Germany and Switzerland is reconstructed, in line with what became the institutional framework of apprenticeships in the two countries. It is above all the focus on education in schools through Bildung as a pedagogical concept reaching beyond what may technically be associated with skill formation for jobs, but also the understanding that VET should be given a reliable institutional framework, that were crucial for the emergence and establishment of the modern VET system in both countries.

A Comparative Analysis of Peculiarities of Vocational Education in Ukraine and Germany

The labour market of Ukraine and CIS states requires highly skilled construction workers. However, the prestige of these professions has now declined significantly. The modernization of vocational education and training (VET) creates certain problems in European integration of Ukrainian education. Besides, the study of vocational education in highly developed European countries is strategically important to Ukraine. In these countries, vocational education is more advanced, flexible, accessible, open, inclusive and prestigious. Therefore, this paper deals with the main aspects of the functioning of vocational education. Its development is based on taking into account the needs of production and business for skilled workers, as well as adequate financial support from government and employers, who understand it as an investment in future economic growth and productivity, thus creating employment opportunities for graduates from vocational education institutions and adults. Those who pursue vocational training in Germany are, first of all, graduates from high schools (Gymnasium), basic secondary schools (Hauptschule), junior high schools (Realschule), comprehensive schools (Gesamtschule) and secondary schools (Sekundarschule). The main components ensuring efficiency and high quality of professional training of highly skilled construction workers in Germany include an effective legal framework for educational activity in Germany, use of dual training in the system of training highly skilled workers and constructive development of the social partnership. Thus, an analysis of professional training of highly skilled workers in relevant centres in Germany and interconnections between vocational education, economic integration and social development of Germany makes it possible to outline certain strategic steps regarding the functioning and improvement of professional (vocational) education in Ukraine. The paper reveals certain prospects for developing international cooperation and outlines the possibility of involving Ukrainian professional (vocational) education institutions in the global educational process. The paper also emphasizes the importance of updating forms and methods of vocational education of skilled workers in vocational training centres in German and partly reveals the characteristics of introducing and developing social partnership.

Employment prospects after completing vocational training in Germany from 2008-2014: a comprehensive analysis

ABSTRACT The transition from vocational education and training to regular employment is an important step in the occupational biography of apprenticeship graduates. In the last decade, the retention rate of apprenticeship completers has remained stable at a high level, and graduates face good job opportunities in Germany. Despite these positive circumstances, not all apprenticeship graduates succeed in the direct transition from vocational training to regular employment and are affected by unemployment. My paper offers deeper insights into training establishment-specific, individual and external regional characteristics that influence the transition process at this crucial point in the employment career. I consider the employment status of apprenticeship graduates by estimating multinomial logit models at three time points after the end of training, namely, one month and one and two years later. Using linked employer-employee data, I find evidence not only that sociodemographic characteristics and training establishment-specific determinants affect the transition at the second threshold but also that regional factors influence the probability of becoming unemployed or remaining with the training establishment after the end of the apprenticeship.

Aligning vocational training to the electromobile transformation by establishing the “Training Factory Stator Production” – A methodical deficit analysis with derivation of measures

In addition to the current challenges in production technology due to the shift from conventional powertrains towards electrified drive technologies, the disruptive transformation of mobility confronts OEMs and suppliers with major personnel challenges, which include new requirement profiles for prospective skilled workers. In order to meet the personnel requirements of industry and ensure the high quality of vocational training in Germany nonetheless, the current training concepts must be strengthened by the targeted integration of specific contents and be geared holistically to the needs of new occupational profiles. This paper presents a methodological approach for deriving current deficits in vocational education and training through the systematic analysis of framework curricula and the targeted survey of teachers working at German vocational schools as well as the derived training program to support the qualification of trainees. In order to obtain a training concept of high didactic quality, the approach is based on pedagogical methods to provide the best possible support and to convey the learning objectives related to professional, social, methodical, and personal skills. With the newly conceived “Training Factory Stator Production” at the wbk Institute of Production Science of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, a program for the training and further education of trainees, skilled employees and engineers will be introduced using the example of producing stators with hairpin technology, to support especially small and medium-sized companies in the personnel transformation process.

Efforts to Digitize Vocational Training in Germany

Efforts to Digitize Vocational Training in Germany

Parental Unemployment and the Transition to Vocational Training in Germany: Interaction of Household and Regional Sources of Disadvantage

AbstractWe examine the impact of parental unemployment and regional labour market conditions on the probability of a successful transition from non-academic secondary schooling to vocational training in Germany, using data from the National Educational Panel Study and multilevel logistic regression models. Although widely regarded as a low-cost, low-risk and high-gain vocational path, we nevertheless find a clear negative effect of parental unemployment on adolescents’ chances of entering an apprenticeship contract. We test for poorer school performance, reduced household income, reduced self-esteem and limited access to labour market information as potential mediators of the effect, and only find support for some limited impact of economic deprivation. However, we also show that in families where one parent has experienced unemployment shortly before the child’s own transition from secondary schooling, students’ chances of a successful transition depend much more strongly on regional labour market conditions than in families without parental experiences of unemployment. Even in a regulated transition system like Germany’s, adverse labour market conditions thus reinforce the intergenerational disadvantages induced by parental unemployment.

Transition to company-based vocational training in Germany by young people from a migrant background – the influence of region of origin and generation status

Purpose: For young people with a migrant background in Germany transition from school to company-based vocational training is much more difficult than for non-migrants. This remains true, when data is controlled for the lower performance of young migrants in general education. In this paper we investigate if and how far the chances of transition to company-based vocational training and the acquisition of different school leaving certificates depend from the migration generation and the region of origin of young migrants. The question is, if disadvantages of young migrants diminish with a longer stay of their family in Germany and if this is also the case for the different groups of regions of origin (Southern Europe, East Europe, Turkey, other Middle East and North Africa, Other regions).&#x0D; Methods: We conduct multivariate analyses on the basis of data from the German Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Our analyses relate to young people who left a general education school after Year 9 in the summer of 2011 or Year 10 in the summer of 2012. Our database comprises information provided by a total of 5,952 school leavers.&#x0D; Results: For all four origin groups worse chances in comparison to non-migrants were detected. But there are differences in the disadvantages of opportunity between the various groups. They acquire more often lower school qualifications than their counterparts not from a migrant background and also have worse chances than the latter of successfully progressing to company-based vocational education and training. This applies even if other important influencing factors such as social origin are taken into account. Young people from a Turkish or Arab background have the lowest chances in general education and vocational training. As generation status rises disadvantages diminish for all origin groups, but with different magnitudes. A clear upwards-directed integration can be observed solely for the East European origin group.&#x0D; Conclusion: The results of our analyses signalise a clear need for action on the part of German policy makers and German society to reduce the educational disadvantages suffered by young migrants and to develop an effective support mechanism. Integration is rarely achieved in the short term. It is a long-term task which frequently extends over several generations.

Labour Education and Vocational Training in Germany: A Brief Historical Review

Introduction. A historical overview is often quite useful in search for answers to some pressing issues. Learning from others can also help to cope with separate current problems. One of such problems encountered by modern Russian professional education is restoration and consolidation of its practice orientation through selection of an appropriate content and upbringing of youth in the course of pre-employment process. A considerable variety of material in this regard has been accumulated over the last several centuries in Germany.The aim of this paper was to analyse the cause-and-effect relationships of developmental priorities in the German professional pedagogy during the 18th – early 20th centuries.Methodology and research methods. System and comparative approaches were used as main methodological tools. The leading method was a comparative retrospective analysis, which allowed the authors to compare various scientific resources. In addition, the approaches of goal-setting and formalisation of expected results were applied. The content analysis and systematisation of documents and other historical and pedagogical resources were employed. In view of information extensiveness, the selection was compiled with the principle of necessity and sufficiency, i. e. reduction of excess data when maintaining the completeness of facts for continued use.Results and scientific novelty. The stages of formation and development of labour school were identified according to the ideas of the German scientists and the educational practice accepted in Germany during the considered historical period. The main directions of training through activity were characterised: philanthropinism, manualism, professionalism and activism. The influence of social and economic conditions on formation and transformation of various educational concepts was demonstrated, which constant despite everything was a combination of fundamental and applied components of vocational training. The continuity of pedagogical theory and practice of the past in the modern system of the German professional education was shown.Practical significance. The findings obtained by the Russian-German research team can be useful when developing and implementing flexible and adaptive differentiated curricula into modern vocational education in Russia.

Intergenerational effects of further vocational training in Germany

ABSTRACTThis article analyses the influence of unemployed parents’ further vocational training on their children’s future apprenticeship and employment opportunities. We focus on households receiving means-tested benefits in Germany and investigate whether parents’ further vocational training helps avoid an intergenerational transmission of unemployment. Parents’ further vocational training can affect children’s future apprenticeship and employment opportunities directly, for instance by raising the value attributed to education and training within the family. Indirect effects via parents’ improved employment opportunities are possible as well. The sample consists of adolescents who were 14–17 years old when their parents participated in a further vocational training programme. We evaluate apprenticeship and employment outcomes for the young adults at ages 17–23 using entropy balancing methods on the basis of rich large-scale register data. Our findings indicate significantly positive effects of parents’ further vocational training on children’s apprenticeship enrolment but non-significant or negative effects on children’s regular employment at young ages. Moreover, mediation analysis gives evidence that these effects are partly mediated via an increase in parents’ own employment opportunities. Overall, our analyses indicate that parents’ further vocational training improves the qualifications of the next generation as well.

The influence of parents’ social capital on their children’s transition to vocational training in Germany

This study investigates the up-to-now strongly underexplored role of parents’ social capital in the school-to-work transition of adolescents. We base our empirical analyses on unique longitudinal largescale data from the German National Educational Panel Study. Parents’ social capital is measured with a position generator. Results show that adolescents with lower secondary education have better chances of finding an apprenticeship in a company if their parents know many persons with lower-status occupations for which vocational training is sufficient. This is especially the case for parents’ social contacts that have occupations in which many adolescents with lower secondary education are being trained in a company. The contrary is true for adolescents whose parents know many persons with higher-status occupations. Parents’ social networks do not show any effects on the quality of these apprenticeships or on the probability of entering school-based vocational training. Overall, our results indicate that parents’ social networks are important for a smooth school-to-work transition of their children. Moreover, our analyses confirm the idea that social capital is goal and labour market segment specific.

Das duale System in Deutschland (The Dual System of Vocational Training in Germany)

German Abstract Zwei Drittel aller Deutschen habe ihre Berufsausbildung im Rahmen des dualen Systems absolviert. Die Berufsausbildung vermittelt gleichermasen theoretisches Wissen und praktische Fahigkeiten und Fertigkeiten. Dieser kurze Beitrag stellt heraus, welche Rolle mimetisches Lernen wahrend der Ausbildung in Berufsschule und Betrieb spielt. English Abstract Two-thirds of all Germany who have learned a profession have done so via the so-called dual system of vocational training. Such training comprises both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. This brief paper highlights the role that mimetic learning plays in the training, both at trade school and on the job.

Theories and theorems of the in-company continuing vocational training in Germany

Theories and theorems of the in-company continuing vocational training in Germany

The Legal research on the educational system and the support for vocational training in Germany

The Legal research on the educational system and the support for vocational training in Germany

Dealing with Youth Unemployment and Skilled Labour Shortage

Countries that experience dramatic demographic change, with a seriously aging population and very low birth rates, have been confronted with a steady decrease of an active labour force. South Korea and Germany are such case examples; countries with relatively high youth unemployment and a shortage of skilled labour that can meet the demands of companies and the changing global market economy. This paper investigates and compares the vocational training systems of South Korea and Germany and the extent to which these systems have been successful in training job related skills and in absorbing young people into the labour market. The paper puts vocational training into historical context and examines recent trends and changes. In its’analysis, it focuses on the recently introduced Meister- schools in South Korea and on the German-style dual Vocational Education and Training (VET). The question of how attractive and effective is vocational training is raised in this short investigation. The findings highlight that whilst both VET systems have a long history and many improvements in the school-to-work transition have been achieved, vocational training in Germany has been much more positively received than in the case of South Korea. The paper argues that socio-economic and cultural factors - especially the contrasting values placed on academic education, the different insurance motives of families, and the level of power of the educational industry ? significantly influence the success of vocational training in those countries.

Still a perfect model? The gender impact of vocational training in Germany

Reconstructing the parallel structure of ‘dual’ and ‘school-based’ vocational routes reveals the close connection between the German vocational training system and the segmentation of the labour market by gender. The example of jobs in childcare and pre-primary education shows that the legacy of semi-professionalism in these occupations is not just rooted in the nature of training and working conditions, but complexly interlinks with the prevalence of the male breadwinner model sustained by social policy regulations and the German taxation system. In France, by contrast, the central state takes responsibility for the provision of childcare from zero to six years of age to support female labour force participation and dual-earner couples. This has also fostered professionalisation in the respective occupations. Whilst this may not necessarily induce a degendering process at the level of horizontal segregation of vocational qualifications, it facilitates gender equality in terms of vertical mobility and the professional status of women.