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45/ 2011
Bonn, 10.10.2011
Passed! First-time pass rate for final examinations exceeds 90%
Following a change in the type of data collected for the vocational training statistics of the Federal Statistical Office and Germany's state statistical offices, it is now possible for the first time to ascertain how many candidates pass their final examination at the first go upon completion of their vocational training. The analysis conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) for the year 2009 reveals a gratifying result: 91.2% of the some 477,700 young men and women pass their final examination at the first go, with women doing somewhat better than men. It is however also clear from a look at the individual occupations that there is a sizable range of pass rates for first-time examinees. This is shown by separate evaluations of the 25 occupations with the most first-time examinees. Marked differences can also be seen between the pass rates of candidates who were admitted to the final examination ahead of schedule 0 almost all of whom passed the final exam at the first go 0 and candidates whose period of training had been extended. In this latter group, the first-time pass rate was less than 40%.
The occupation Management Assistant for Retail Services accounted for the largest group of first-time candidates for the final examination: Out of the 30,726 examinees, 92.6% passed the final examination the first time. They were followed by the 21,183 examinees for the occupation Sales Assistant for Retail Services who had a first-time pass rate of 87.1% and 19,470 examinees for the occupation Office Manager whose first-time pass rate was 93.1%.
A look at the 25 separately analysed occupations reveals the range of the first-time pass rate. The 5,577 examinees for the occupation Electronics Technician for Industrial Engineering posted the highest first-time pass rate, 97.8%. With a first-time fail rate of just under 20%, the 12,411 examinees for the occupation Cook had the hardest time passing the final examination at the first go. In this connection however it is necessary to take the trainees' prior education into account. Only minor differences were seen between men and women in most of the occupations examined in this study. In some occupations however 0 such as Hairdresser; Salesperson Specialising in Foodstuffs; Joiner; and Painter/Varnisher 0 at least 5% more women than men passed the final examination the first time they sat it.
For further information, please see the report "Successful at the very first try? First-time pass rate" published in the BIBB journal "Berufsbildung in Wissenschaft und Praxis" (BWP - Vocational Training in Research and Practice), Issue 5/2011 at www.bibb.de/bwp-erfolgsquote and the BIBB Data Report, Section A 4.7, at www.bibb.de/datenreport
Point of contact at BIBB: Margit Ebbinghaus; E-mail: ebbinghaus@bibb.de
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