Sandra Garbade will be the new BIBB President
01.07.2026
Dr Sandra Garbade will be the new President of the Federal Institute of Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) in Bonn. She takes up the position on 1 August 2026. Sandra Garbade succeeds Professor Dr Friedrich Hubert Esser, who retired on 30 June 2026 after more than 15 years in office.
Dr Sandra Garbade has a doctorate in business education and trained as a bank clerk. After periods working in banking and consulting, she switched to the education sector in Hamburg in 2007, firstly as a teacher in vocational schools. She subsequently took on various senior roles at the Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education and Training (HIBB). She has been Managing Director of the HIBB since August 2017 and is responsible for the strategic development of VET in Hamburg. Her primary focus is on strengthening VET, promoting equality, and developing the vocational school system to make it fit for the future.
The Federal Cabinet approved her appointment on 1 July. Dr Sandra Garbade is the first woman to lead the BIBB in the organisation’s 56-year history.
As the central organisation for VET in Germany, the Federal Institute of Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) is responsible for key tasks in research, regulatory work, and policy consultation. Vocational education and training has a special role to play in meeting the challenges of securing the supply of skilled labour, digitalisation, and transforming the world of work.