The Dual System in Germany

The highly skilled labour force is a fundamental strength of German industry and a major reason for foreign companies to establish businesses here. The basis for this skilled labour force is provided by an extensive apprenticeship and training system which is second to none throughout the world. The chambers of industry and commerce (CIC) play a major role here.

Vocational training in Germany is divided into training on-the-job and theoretical education in vocational training schools - a double-edged system providing apprenticeships for young people.

The characteristic feature of this system is that theoretical knowledge and practical skills are combined from the very beginning during the vocational training. An apprentice can only learn how to cope with the constantly changing demands in a company by experiencing this ”on-the-job–. He/she also becomes aware of the variety of social relationships that exist in a "real life" company. Furthermore, ”learning by doing– provides a sense of accomplishment and additional motivation for the apprentice. Achievements at work promote independence and a sense of responsibility - indispensable qualities in a developed industrial country. By tackling concrete tasks under true working conditions, apprentices can demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired and thus experience the success of their efforts.

The Vocational Training Act regulates inter alia the training of young persons after compulsory school attendance has terminated. The concept of vocational training stated in this law comprises initial training – i.e. apprenticeships, further training and vocational retraining. In conformity with the powers of jurisdiction laid down in the German constitution, the Vocational Training Act provides the overall framework but does not regulate vocational training schools for which the constituent states of Germany (such as Hesse) are responsible. Education is generally a state responsibility.

There is a general freedom to contract. The employer can decide whether he wishes to take on apprentices and with whom he concludes an apprenticeship contract. The same applies to the young people. There is no obligation for young people to become apprentices and there is no obligation for employees to provide apprenticeships. Young persons are not directed into specific occupations: the local state-run employment offices and the CIC do give vocational advice however and help to find apprenticeship places for prospective apprentices.

While any company is free to decide whether or not to take on apprentices, the procedure of the apprenticeship itself is governed by legal regulations. The responsibilities lie with the assigned federal secretary of state. This office issues apprenticeship regulations, specifying the name of the occupation, the period of the apprenticeship (generally between two and three years), and the abilities and knowledge to be learned during the apprenticeship.The Qualifications of a Company for Providing ApprenticeshipsThe regulations governing apprenticeships must make due allowance for differing conditions throughout the working environment. However, this does not mean that every employer will be able to provide apprenticeships. There will always be firms that are unable to provide such training, whether because of their structure, their facilities, their degree of specialisation, their production programme, the services they offer or their personnel structure etc. There are possibilities for small or specialised companies to ”share– an apprentice though. The CIC can help with advice here.Technical developments make training contents increasingly complex, particularly in the field of industrial training. Training for a large number of occupations has to be provided independently of production in separate training courses. For this purpose, medium and large scale enterprises have installed special training workshops. For those firms too small to operate their own facilities, training workshops outside companies have been established by the CIC and by professional associations as a supplement to training on the job.Attendance at the vocational training schools, which accompanies on-the-job training, is compulsory for every apprentice for twelve hours of instruction a week. The schools are state-run.Tasks of the Chambers #Ref#4#

One of the most important tasks of the CIC is to advise companies that train people on all related problems. Issues they are concerned with are: the structure of the training, the use of training aids, educational, psychological and legal questions. At the same time the CIC also gives advice to trainees. As stated above, any employer wishing to engage apprentices must fulfil certain conditions regarding their suitability for this task. The company must be able to offer facilities, production programmes or services to train people. In addition, the training employer and any training officers must have specific personal, professional and teaching qualifications. The CIC will ascertain before the start of the apprenticeship and also during the course of training whether these qualifications are present or not. This is carried out on the basis of a vocational training register provided by the CIC which contains all apprenticeship contracts. The task of administering and supervising training matters is assigned to the training counsellors on the staff of each CIC.

Each apprentice must take an interim examination in the course of the training. The examination serves to ascertain the level the apprentice has reached. The CIC sets up a board of examiners to hold these examinations. Every apprentice also has to take a final examination in order to show that he/she has acquired the necessary professional qualifications. The examination boards set up by the CIC consist of at least three members, an employers` representative, an employees` representative and at least one vocational school teacher. All examiners work on a honorary basis. Rules to be observed in connection with final examinations are issued by the Vocational Training Committee of the CIC, consisting of employers´ and employees´ representatives in equal numbers and vocational school teachers as consultant members. These rules regulate the conditions for admission, the form of the examination, the criteria for marking, the issue of examination certificates, the consequences of breaches of the rules and the possibility of repeating the examination. The abilities to be examined are laid down in the training regulations. According to the occupation, they may provide for a test of practical and/or theoretical skills. The practical examination will call for samples of work and/or test workpieces. The theoretical test is conducted as a written and/or oral examination.

After passing the examination, the apprentice receives an examination certificate issued by the CIC. This certificate is not an authorisation as such. Its principal purpose is to show that the person concerned has acquired the qualifications necessary for a specific occupation. It is also the basis for professional progress and career advancement. Passing the final apprenticeship examination is one of the conditions for admission to further courses at the journey-level and finally becoming a ”master craftsman– for example. Also it demonstrates the aptitude of a person for further training in a number of branches of trade, industry and commerce.

The CIC also holds examinations at higher, post-apprenticeship levels. The Vocational Training Committees issue special regulations governing the subject matter, purpose, standards, procedures and conditions of admission of such examinations. Again, the CIC establishes boards of examiners to hold the examinations. To achieve an orderly and uniform system of further training, the Federal Minister for Education and Science may issue ordinances regulating the examinations. The CIC collaborates here in formulating such regulations through experts who they appoint.

However, the activities of the CIC in the field of further training are not confined to holding examinations. Further training measures are also provided. Here, two types of training are offered, firstly, training for advancement, to enable the trainee to take on a better qualified position in his firm, and secondly training for adaptation, i.e, to retain and to extend occupational knowledge and skills and to adapt them to technical developments. The latter are generally short-term measures, while training for advancement will normally require the trainee to attend courses totalling 500 to 700 hours of instruction. As a rule, only these courses are terminated by an examination of the CIC. While nearly all examinations are provided by the CIC, training measures may be offered by private companies as well. The market for further training is a free market and it is our political aim to keep this market free from over-regulation and unfair competition.

The CIC also holds examinations for persons who have retrained for a different occupation, setting up the required boards of examiners. Where these examinations are not held for recognized training occupations, the Vocational Training Committees must issue the necessary regulations concerning subject matter, purpose, standards, procedures and conditions of admission.