Print version Recommend this page Press release
21/ 2006
Bonn, 30.6.2006
Education vouchers in the continuing vocational training field: Between improved quality and fewer offerings
"The introduction of education vouchers represents an about-face in Germany's active labour market policies - namely, a shift from training campaigns to placement-oriented assistance. In order for education vouchers - as an alternative financing model in publicly-funded continuing vocational training - to develop an efficient control function, the underlying conditions have to be right," said Professor Reinhold Weiß, Deputy President and Head of Research of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training ("BIBB") at the special BIBB conference Education Vouchers between Quantity and Quality. The conference with numerous workshops was held in connection with the conclusion of the BIBB research project Education Vouchers in Publicly Funded Continuing Vocational Training: Experience and Impact.
Some 100 experts from vocational education and training (VET) theory and research, the VET policy field and day-to-day continuing vocational training practice attended the conference in Bonn where they discussed the pros and cons of education vouchers which were introduced in 2003. In addition to presentations by BIBB staff members, the conference featured reports on current research findings on education vouchers by Dr Hilmar Schneider, Director of Labor Policy at the Bonn-based Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) and Dr Thomas Kruppe from the Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg.
What insights and experiences have been gathered over the course of the project's three and a half years? Here, a summary of the studies and analyses:
- Continuing vocational training for unemployed persons has become much more targeted since the introduction of education vouchers.
- BIBB surveys of training providers and counsellors show that the introduction of education vouchers has helped increase systematic quality assurance for all aspects of the process of providing the service known as "continuing vocational training". This finding is also supported by the fact that only certified training providers can redeem education vouchers.
- However, the amount of subsidized continuing training has declined dramatically and the range of training on offer has been reduced considerably since education vouchers were introduced. The reason: Education vouchers are issued to individuals who offer good prerequisites. The target set by the Federal Employment Agency ("BA") is a 70 per cent "re-employment" rate for individuals who complete a continuing training programme. According to the BA representative Martina Barton-Zieman, the downward trend has ended and the number of education vouchers being issued has been on the rise again since the start of the year.
- Since the introduction of education vouchers, certain target groups are no longer being considered for subsidized continuing training or have much greater difficulty receiving approval for it. These groups include in particular women who are re-entering the job market, older unemployed persons and persons who have little or no formal vocational qualification.
- Dr André Schläfli from the Swiss Federation for Adult Learning reported from an international standpoint on similar parallels and diverse experience in other European countries.
- As an alternative, other programmes can also be used to fund continuing vocational training for certain groups of persons. Presentations here included the "education cheque" that was developed at state level in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and launched early this year. This system has some similarities with the education voucher system.
Documentation from the BIBB conference Education Vouchers: Between Quantity and Quality can be downloaded in German at
For further information please contact at BIBB:
Angelika Puhlmann; Tel.: + 49 (0)228 - 107 1119; Fax: + 49 (0)228 - 107 2988; puhlmann@bibb.de
Katrin Gutschow; Tel.: + 49 (0)228 - 107 1621; Fax: + 49 (0)228 - 107 2973; gutschow@bibb.de
Bent Paulsen; Tel.: + 49 (0)228 - 107 1332; Fax: + 49 (0)228 - 107 2973; paulsen@bibb.de
