Vocational Education and Training in the Federal Republic of Germany. Comparative Papers in Further Education. Number Ten.

Overview & Synopsis

Since the states of the Federal Republic of Germany enjoy autonomy regarding all educational matters, coordination is ensured by various commissions and ministries. Compulsory full-time education from ages 6 to 15 is followed by compulsory part-time release until age 18. Education is divided into primary, lower secondary, upper secondary, and higher. The basic system of vocational education and training is the Dual System, under which a young person on a training contract or apprenticeship receives vocational training in the firm while attending a vocational school. The upper secondary system is divided into vocational schools and general education and "mixed-type" schools. Adult Education Institutes provide a wide variety of leisure, cultural, and vocational studies. (Brief overviews are offered on teachers, examinations, and curriculum coordination.) The country has responded with five sets of measures to solve the problems of the transition from school to working life: the curriculum component, learning about the world of work, vocational guidance, the vocational orientation year, a basic vocational training year, and apprenticeships. Problems of the 1980s include graduate unemployment and need for labor force flexibility. Appendixes include a typical plan of the states' educational systems, a glossary, and background information on the country. (YLB)