Print version Recommend this page Press release
14/ 2011
Bonn, 06.04.2011
BIBB President Kremer believes "training opportunities for young people will continue to improve"
2011 Data Report on the development of vocational education and training published
2011 will bring a further easing of the situation on the training places market from the point of view of young people. "On the basis of the good general economic conditions which currently prevail, we expect that it will be possible to achieve an increase of just under 39,000 (+6.7%) in the number of training places on offer this autumn compared to the previous year, bringing the total number of places available to around 618,500", explained Manfred Kremer, President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), who was speaking on the occasion of the publication of the 2011 BIBB Data Report. He went on to say that opportunities on the training market for young people would continue to improve in overall terms despite the fact that double upper secondary cohorts would mean a short-term rise in the number of school leavers. The 2011 BIBB Data Report provides information and analyses on the development of vocational education and training in Germany and supplements the "2011 Report on Vocational Education and Training" issued by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) which was today adopted by the Federal Cabinet.
Notwithstanding the anticipation that developments would be positive, the BIBB President warned against the danger of "sitting back", pointing out that company-based provision was still not sufficient in order to be able to offer an apprenticeship to every willing and capable young person. "Demographic development alone will not be able to solve the problems of the training places market", emphasised Kremer. He indicated that the opposite would, in fact, be the case. Companies would find it increasingly difficult to find suitable trainees due to the lack of harmony between supply and demand in certain regions and branches.
Manfred Kremer appealed to companies to open up to new target groups of young applicants to a greater extent than previously. "The focus also needs to be on giving a fair chance to those who failed to progress beyond the selection procedure a few years ago." Kremer stated that BIBB investigations showed that "young people are blossoming in areas not covered by school-based forms of learning and are particularly motivated to demonstrate their true potential once they enter in-company practice where professional guidance is available to them".
Kremer urged policymakers to support companies in undertaking such an outreach and in taking on new tasks for the provision of assistance to less able young people. He praised the new "Educational Chains" programme initiated by the Federal Government and particularly commended the more widespread deployment of career entry support staff. "The work being undertaken by these educational guides is supporting both young people and the companies. They are making an effective contribution towards improving transitions from school to dual training."
The main focus of this year's BIBB Data Report is on permeability, transparency and recognition between the various educational pathways - in particular between vocational education and training and higher education. Kremer expressed the view that this was one of the most pressing future tasks facing educational policymakers in Germany and that the emphasis needed to be placed on educating the maximum number of people in as broad a way and to as high a level as possible. The crucial factor was what someone could do rather than the course via which such competences had been acquired. The challenge of the development of the German Qualifications Framework (DQR) was to accord recognition to competences across educational areas.
In international comparative terms, Germany possessed a particularly well developed system of initial and continuing training occupations. "For all these reasons, educational policy would be well advised to continue to expand provision in rigorous training occupations and high-quality additional qualifications as well as the number of advanced training qualifications which are organised within staged continuing training systems and which lead to the highest levels of competence," Kremer explained.
BIBB has been issuing the Data Report as a stand-alone publication since 2009. It supplements the policy-aligned Report on Vocational Education and Training produced by the Federal Government by providing a data section based on indicators. The Data Report extends over more than 400 pages and is the standard work dealing with the situation of vocational education and training in Germany. It provides current data, facts and analyses on initial and continuing vocational education and training, gives a summary of the large number of funding programmes and pilot initiatives and describes the latest developments and challenges facing German VET in European and international comparative terms.
A preliminary version of the Data Report is available for download at www.bibb.de/datenreport, where you will also find a link to the "2011 Report on Vocational Education and Training" published by the BMBF. Both publications will be available in print form shortly.
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