An Overview on Germany’s Dual System of Initial Vocational Education and Training (IVET)

Germany’s vocational education and training is considered as a successful model internationally, largely because of her Dual System, which leads to high-quality vocational qualifications and enables smooth transitions from education-to-work.

What is Dual System of Vocational Education and Training?

In Germany, the Dual System of vocational education and training provides an environment for apprenticeship. It is characterised by the concept that training takes place both at a vocational school and a training company in tandem. The system is governed by the “Dual Principle” for its implementation, which refers to the integration of theory and practice, thinking (reflecting) and acting, systematic and holistic learning in real-life situations (Euler, 2013). The training of 331 officially recognised training occupations as of August 2013 (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, 2014) generally lasts for two, three and three-and-a-half years. The trainees are aged between 16 and 18 years old at the beginning of the education and training. Starting from 2012, the two-year training of the Dual System are pegged to level 3 of the German Qualifications Framework (GQF) while the three-year and three-and-a-half years training are assigned to level 4 of the GQF (Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, 2014).

A diagrammatic representation of the Initial vocational education and training in Germany (Source: Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Germany)

Division of Responsibilities in the Dual System: Tripartite Collaboration

The government (federal government and state governments), the social partners (including employers, trade unions, and chambers) and the education and training providers play different roles to uphold the Dual System. The table below shows the responsibilities of various parties cooperating in the IVET of Germany.

	Parties	Responsibilities
Government	Federal government Federal Ministry of Education and Research Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training	Recognize training occupations by ordinance Stipulate binding requirements for training and examinations in the Training Regulations Promote measures to support dual training Promote vocational training research
	State governments Ministry of Education	Issue Framework Curricula for vocational schools Finance teaching staff Supervise chamber activities
Social Partners	Employers and unions	Draft proposals for the creation of new and the updating of existing training occupations Nominate experts for participation in the drafting of Training Regulations Negotiate provisions in collective agreements, e.g. concerning the amount of allowance paid to trainees
	Competent bodies Chambers of industry and commerce, crafts and trades, agriculture, and liberal professions	Advise the stakeholders (trainers/ trainees) in training Supervise training in the company Verify the aptitude of companies and training instructors Register training contracts between companies and trainees Administer national examinations of the in-company training
Education and Training Providers	Part-time vocational schools	Provide training for trainees to learn the theoretical knowledge required for their occupation and provide general education by teaching subjects such as language, politics and physical education Provide practical training that supplements in-company training
	Training companies	Provide in-house vocational training in the company
	Inter-company training centres	Provide training opportunities for trainees if their training companies cannot offer comprehensive practical training

(Source: Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany)

The close partnership between the government and all social partners is the key success factor of the system. The social partners, in particular, are closely engaged in the design and provision of vocational education and training. They are involved in the development and revision of ordinances and the apprenticeship arrangement, and play a central role in the initiatives for change because vocational training must meet the demands of industry. For education and training providers, the Framework Curricula in the Training Regulations for the companies are coordinated with the corresponding Framework Curricular for vocational schools, so that in-company training and vocational school education and training complement one another.

Implementation of the Dual System

The following is a diagrammatic representation of the summary of the implementation of the Dual System of IVET in Germany.

Summary: Implementation of the IVET Dual System in Germany (Source: Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Germany)