Transparency is crucial in shaping a European Education Area. Its aim is to facilitate communication between the different national education systems. BWP issue 2/2025 “European transparency instruments” takes a look at different instruments, reflecting their origins and relevance to VET in Europe.
New presidency of the Alliance for VET in Latin America and the Caribbean
At the invitation of the presidency of the Alliance for VET in Latin America and the Caribbean, INFOTEP, BIBB and ILO/Cinterfor, the members of the Alliance and representatives from politics, business and practice discussed the pillars of dual VET at an international conference in Santo Domingo.
BILT publication on vocational education and training in tourism and hospitality
A report and compendium of innovative practice examples have been published after a year of intensive collaboration between some 30 experts from Africa, Asia and Europe, as well as international organisations.
The broshure "Developing Skills for Employability with German Partners – 8 Case Studies of Soft Skills Training" presents eight vocational education and training success stories of German providers worldwide. The publication is available in English.
Labour market and vocational education and training
In times of societal transformation, the interaction between the labour market and VET is facing considerable challenges. This issue of BWP asks how VET can be structured in a way which enables it to keep pace with the speed of the transformation.
The number of applications for recognition of foreign professional qualifications continues to rise, as the new report shows. It provides information about current developments of professional recognition in Germany and reveals both successes and remaining challenges.
From 29 to 31 May 2024, the global education scene met at eLearning Africa in Rwanda. More than 1,200 visitors from 82 countries attested to the importance of the event. The preceding iMOVE visitor programme was met with great interest and a positive response from German education providers.
The Costa Rican Ministry of Education visits GOVET
Training regulations require a lot of coordination. Many stakeholders are involved in their development and implementation. Representatives of the Ministry of Education in Costa Rica examined this issue on a study trip and exchanged ideas and views with BIBB colleagues and companies in the region.
On the occasion of the BILT Bridging Event in Como, Italy, we asked Alessandro Mele, President of Cometa, to comment on the conference’s focus and some of its highlights. Cometa, a UNEVOC Centre and European Centre for Inclusive Excellence, is the TVET provider that hosted the event.
BIBB reinforces its role in Indonesia as an internationally recognised centre of excellence for vocational education and training
On 12 June, BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser gave a keynote address in Jakarta at the invitation of the Indonesian Ministry for Economic Affairs and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The speech formed part of an international VET conference.
First TVET Symposium in Ghana is a complete success
At the first TVET Symposium in Ghana, the CVET joined forces with GOVET and the BMBF to stage an impressive programme which also included the presentation of a Declaration of Intent for further bilateral cooperation in VET and the launch of Ghana’s second Vocational Education and Training Report.
This was GOVET's working year 2023: The annual report highlights success stories, new formats, challenges and topics from GOVET's advisory work in a multimedia overview: as a one-stop shop for the international VET-cooperation, at the round table and in the ministry's (BMBF) collaborations.
The 2024 BILT Bridging Event: “Towards Inclusive Excellence in TVET” took place in Como, Italy, from 22 to 24 April. Around 70 TVET experts from the regions Europe, Africa, and Asia-Pacific attended in person, while up to 260 guests from around the world followed the highlights of the event online.
BIBB is supporting the further development of Ethiopia’s VET strategy. Two workshops in Ethiopia on VET governance and financing models in and the visit of an Ethiopian delegation of high-ranking political actors to BIBB marked the start of the cooperation.
This issue of BWP provides numerical data which forms the basis for an objective debate on what has been achieved thus far and on the remaining challenges in respect of sustainably promoting integration in and via vocational education and training.
The "German Teaching Method Competence Center", a cooperative venture with the Institute for Training and Careers, opened at Shunde Polytechnic College at the end of 2023. The role of the Competence Center is to shape transformation processes for Vocational Education and Training 4.0.
The most frequently asked questions regarding the German VET System, the recognition of qualifications or on how to start a career in Germany will be answered here.
The glossary is a source for terms and definitions which are used in the field of vocational education and training. Emphasis is placed on its usage in the context of the German dual system. The VET Glossary is a work in progress and updated and expanded on an ongoing basis.
The BIBB publishes its research and work results in different series. You will find all BIBB publications in the index of publications. A selection of publications is available in English.
Methods of competence assessment in vocational education and training (VET) in Germany - A systematic review
The present study provides a systematic overview of the methods of competence assessment in German vocational education and training (VET). To this end, 58 publications from the years 2001 to 2017 have been reviewed regarding the occupational areas for which assessment instruments were developed, types of competences that were assessed, the types of instruments used to assess the competences and the psychometric properties of these instruments. The results indicate that the instruments described in the reviewed publications particularly address commercial, industrial-technical and health occupations. The majority of the instruments deal with the identification of professional competences (66%), followed by basic (24%) and social/communicative competences (9%).
The Data Report of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) provides a comprehensive overview of the actual data on the German Vocational Education and Training system and is published yearly in German. This current English version of the Data Report presents a selection of the most relevant data and analyses of the 2019 Data Report. It contains extensive information and analyses relating to initial and continuing vocational education and training and covers international indicators and benchmarks. The special focus of this Data Report is “Vocational education and training 4.0 – skilled worker qualifications and competencies for the digitalised work of the future”.
Sustainability is one of the greatest social challenges in this day and age. Climate protection, fair working conditions and responsible neighbourhoods are becoming increasingly important issues for companies. A sustainable in-company learning environment helps employees to develop sustainability-related skills. These skills play a crucial role when it comes to acting in line with the guiding principle of sustainability. Companies are already doing a great deal to increase sustainability. However, there is still substantial potential to do more. This guideline describes four key areas for designing sustainable learning venues with a total of 13 areas of action. It provides practice-oriented suggestions for implementation in companies. The guideline thus not only brings fresh momentum for reporting, but also contributes to anchoring sustainable development more firmly into the structure of initial and continuing vocational education and training at companies.
Occupational Participation of Persons with Disabilities: Perceptions and Empirical Evidence
The quality of employment of employees with disabilities differs from that of employees without disabilities only for a few selected indicators. This is shown by analyses based on a follow-up survey of the BIBB/BAuA Employment Survey (ETB) 2018. The follow-up survey also includes a survey experiment on the perception of the situation of people with disabilities on the labour market. A significant proportion of respondents misperceive the gap in labour force participation between people with and without disabilities. Employed persons with disabilities assess the labour market integration of persons with disabilities to be worse when they are informed about the actual gap in labour market participation.
The most frequently asked questions regarding the German VET System, the recognition of qualifications or on how to start a career in Germany will be answered here.