In Germany there is a broad consensus among the partners involved regarding stays abroad during the individual's vocational training. Despite the importance attached to stays abroad, it had not however been known to date how many persons undergoing initial vocational training complete a phase of their learning in another country per year.
A study conducted on behalf of the Education for Europe - National Agency (NA) at BIBB examined this question. The following article presents key findings from this study. It also examines what action would have to be taken so that the widely-accepted practice of completing a phase of learning in a foreign country can be incorporated into the vocational education and training field as a normal, integrated learning segment.

Read more Learning abroad: Current status and prospects of cross-border mobility

The Integrated Report for Vocational Education and Training (iABE) facilitates the systematic recording of young people's pathways after leaving general schooling. It reveals that progressions to the transitional sector nationwide have fallen from 417,647 (2005) to 323,687 (2010), a decrease of 22.5 percent. Educational courses within the transitional sector are used in different ways. There are also major differences between federal states.

Read more Reduction in the number of progressions in the transitional sector

Placements abroad during initial vocational education and training (IVET) are no longer a marginal phenomenon: according to a study commissioned by Germany's National Agency, every year around 23,500 young people in dual-system or full-time school-based IVET programmes undertake phases of transnational mobility.
Referring to examples from the Leonardo da Vinci programme, the article shows how the orientation to learning outcomes and the systematic use of European transparency instruments can help to align phases of transnational mobility more precisely to the structures and specialist requirements of IVET in Germany.

Read more Transparency and recognition of learning outcomes from transnational placements

Recognising the qualifications of people who come from other countries to Germany, to live, learn and work among us, is in all of our interests. Action to ease the recognition process and increase the transparency of procedures was long overdue. Now the German government has introduced a draft bill to the Bundestag for an "Act to improve the assessment and recognition of foreign vocational and professional qualifications" - or Recognition Act for short.

The new Recognition Act - uniformity of implementation is essential

Read more BWP 4/2011

Internationality of vocational education and training
Moderators: Dr Georg Hanf / Birgit Thomann, BIBB
In this forum, national and international VET experts will examine the implications that the international intertwining of economies and labour markets has for vocational education and training. The forum will also focus on international comparisons in connection with key topics. Participants will discuss concepts for creating incentives for investment in continuing vocational training with the help of financial framework conditions in the respective country and abroad. International systems consulting and the different interrelations between vocational training system and employment system will be discussed on the basis of country case studies. The forum will also discuss the conditions that would have to be established in order to implement credit transfer systems in the German context.

19 September 2011

• 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm  Introduction to Forum 5 with a keynote lecture
  Anni Bouder, Centre d'études et de recherches sur les qualifications (Céreq), Marseille
  Birgit Thomann, BIBB

Working Groups

5.1 Weiterbildung international: Beteiligung und Finanzierung analysieren und bewerten

5.2  Internationale Zusammenarbeit und Systemberatung: Herausforderungen kennen - Wandel gestalten
       International cooperation and advisory services: meet the challenge - create the change

5.3 Europäisches Credit-System für die Berufsbildung (ECVET):  Mobilität zwischen Bildungssystemen erleichtern

5.4 Monitoring und Benchmarking: Betriebliche Rekrutierungsstrategien und Qualifizierungskonzepte vergleichen
      Monitoring and benchmarking: comparing companies'  recruitment and training strategies