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Photo Credit: Deutsche Welle April 6, 2018
Getty Images/S. Gallup |
The German economy is powered by products sold the world over. The
strength of Europe's powerhouse depends on outbound shipments. We take a
look at one of its latest exports and reveal the secrets behind its
success. Charlotte Falke creates technical drawings of power plant generators.
The 23-year-old designer, a trainee at German industrial giant Siemens,
spent a year at university before opting for a more vocational program.
"I left because there was too much theory," she said. "I wanted more
practice." Falke is not alone.
Over 50 percent of Germans enter dual vocational and educational training programs
(VET) as a route into employment. They choose from 326 professional
trades that include diamond cutters, aircraft mechanics and even chimney
sweeps. The system is widely credited with fueling the German
export engine. Outside the country, some tout it as a solution to rising
youth unemployment. So how does VET work — and is it worth the hype?
Theory and practice
"The basic idea is
duality," said Ralf Hermann, head of the German Office for International
Cooperation in Vocational Education and Training (GOVET). "That means
integrating school-based learning with work-based practice." Like
most apprentices, Falke spends a few days a week at college learning
foundation skills, such as math and language, as well as the theory
underpinning her work. The rest of her time is spent mainly in the
office designing products. The balance means she is able to produce
technical drawings to industry standards and interact with her clients
in English. "A broader education in school is necessary to
provide the soft skills that make responsible young people," said
Hermann, who points to the need for flexibility in a rapidly changing
digital economy. "Occupations have a broader sense of skills than mere
training for one particular job."
Outside interest
Vocational
training exists in many countries, but such schemes are rarely as
popular as in Germany. More young people follow VET programs than go to
university, even though many are qualified for further study. Apprenticeships
are standardized across the country — every product designer must study
the same textbooks and be familiar with the same design tools — so
employment prospects do not vary greatly by college or company. Most
join their training company after three years of low-paid work and
study. This is important for the German economy, which has one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in the EU, and also the
largest trade surplus. In 2017 Germany exported €1.279 trillion ($1.571 trillion) worth of goods and imported €1.034 trillion. Some countries looking to balance their trade books are keen to learn
from the German model. Ivanka Trump, adviser to protectionist US
President Donald Trump, has expressed interest in bringing dual
vocational training schemes to the US. Speaking to German weekly
Wirtschaftswoche last year, Ms. Trump described Germany's apprenticeship system as "a great trailblazer." "The
perception of our international partners is quite right," said Hermann.
"Part of the economic stability in Germany is due to the core elements
of the VET, in that we produce a workforce that is ready for the labor
markets."
History of training
One reason for VET's
success in Germany is a culture of apprenticeships that stretches back
to the middle ages. The practical component of study is so pervasive in
German education that many young people even opt for semi-vocational
university courses. "This mixture you can't find in any other
concept," said Marius Berger, a salesman at a German car manufacturer.
The 27-year-old completed a dual study program in automotive retail,
alternating 50/50 between three-month stints at university and
internships at the company's headquarters. He graduated with a
Bachelor's degree in 2012 and has stayed with the company since. "I
searched for the possibility to combine my love for German cars with a
good economic study program," said Berger. "For me it wasn't an option
to do a normal Bachelor degree without any practical part." But
feeding such systems into countries without a culture of vocational
training poses problems. While Germany provides technical advice to
countries looking to implement VET systems, such as Mexico and Russia,
organizations such as GOVET are hesitant to describe vocational
education as an export hit. "A system that has grown in Germany
under very specific conditions cannot just be exported to another
country under very different conditions," said Hermann.
DW-Deutsche Welle
