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05/2015 October

25 Years of German Unity
Special Edition of the BIBB-Journal BWP: VET Trends 2016
Press releases
BIBB International
Events
Publication
25 Years of German Unity Top of the page

With the unification process in 1990, vocational education and training in East and West Germany were growing together as well. Now, after 25 years, BWP takes a look back and highlights the stages and challenges of the transformation process, starting with the common features of both systems and their differences. What were the opportunities for developing a unified German vocational education and training system in this period? Have these opportunities been seized, and which impulses for currently debated questions result from this historical review?

Editorial: "A historical perspective inspires new ideas"

Prof. Dr. Reinhold Weiß, Deputy President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and Head of Research

"It has been twenty five years since the reunification. The initial years were extremely tough on those who became unemployed and were forced to adjust to entirely new careers. The German unification also meant a fresh start for vocational education and training in East Germany. From now on, new statutory framework conditions would apply, new training occupations had to be implemented and effective structures had to be developed for the Chambers of Industry and Commerce."
Editorial in the BIBB-journal Vocational Training in Research and Practice - BWP

Read more A historical perspective inspires new ideas

Recollections of those present at the time: "Merging of two German vocational education and training systems amid turbulent times"

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.Hermann Schmidt

"The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the start of a period of time which will live long in our memory. Within the BIBB we experienced a fundamental shift in our own roles almost overnight. We became the central point of contact for issues relating to initial and continuing education for both the Federal Government and, from May 1990 onwards, for the government of the GDR as well as for GDR citizens. The delight we all experienced as a result of the unexpected events gave us the energy we needed to cope with the demands placed on us."
Article from the BIBB-journal Vocational Training in Research and Practice - BWP

Read more The interview

Initial VET East under new conditions

Holle Grünert

The GDR had a well-developed system of initial vocational training, which sprang from the same roots as the dual system of education and training in the Federal Republic. Nevertheless, the economic problems in Eastern Germany and specific demographic trends led to considerable difficulties in the introduction of the dual system. These are recapitulated in the paper. At the same time the paper shows how a variety of tools and support measures have been used in an attempt to address these difficulties. Twenty-five years after reunification, new imbalances have emerged on the training place market, which are named at the end of the paper. Once again they require flexible responses.»
Article from the BIBB-journal Vocational Training in Research and Practice - BWP

Read more Initial VET East under new conditions

International teacher training in the GDR - throwback to the past, learning for the present

Philipp Phan Lassig

In training their vocational education and training personnel, many countries want to learn from Germany. But the models that are crucial in German dual vocational training - academic training of vocational school teachers and continuing education of company specialists to become trainers - are often not suited to the conditions and requirements prevailing there. The "integrated teacher" approach could be of interest. Foreign students were trained as "teachers for vocational education" in this technical college course in the last years of the GDR. The programme is presented in this paper. It ends by discussing how it can stimulate today's vocational education and training cooperation.
Article from the BIBB-journal Vocational Training in Research and Practice - BWP

Read more International teacher training in the GDR

Special Edition of the BIBB-Journal BWP: VET Trends 2016 Top of the page
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The special edition of the BIBB-journal Vocational Training in Research and Practice - BWP singles out some of the current subjects to be discussed within the professional community and by the interested public at national, European and international level. The articles assembled in this issue focus on new trends in vocational education and training and cover four recent topics: International Cooperation, Permeability, Validation of Learning Outcomes and Inclusion. By pointing out these topics and publishing them in English, we hope to give you an insight in trends and progress within the German system of vocational education and training (VET) and to encourage the discussion on many levels.

Read more Special Edition of the BIBB-Journal BWP: VET Trends 2016

Press releases Top of the page
Interview: Skilled crafts and economy 4.0 (16/07/2015)
"Economy 4.0" is the buzzword of the hour. In an interview with the German Skilled Crafts Journal (16 July 2015) BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser explains the impact of the digitalisation of the world of work on skilled crafts.

BIBB International Top of the page

GOVET at the Russian industrial trade fair INNOPROM

GOVET appeared at the Russian industrial trade fair INNOPROM in Yekaterinburg in July. On a shared stand, GOVET, iMOVE, the German-Russian Foreign Chamber of Commerce and the Goethe Institute provided information about German vocational education and training. The purpose of the appearance at the trade fair was to provide information about German-Russian collaboration in vocational education and training and at the same time to improve the market opportunities of the German education industry.

Read more GOVET at the Russian industrial trade fair INNOPROM

International dialogue between research and practice

Participation in an international conference staged in conjunction with the 2015 WorldSkills in São Paulo afforded Professor Reinhold Weiß from the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training an opportunity to conduct discussions on strategic international cooperation agreements and on the development of areas of expertise in vocational training with experts from the fields of education, trade and industry and policymaking from all over the world.

Read more International dialogue between research and practice

Annual Report 2014 by iMOVE

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iMOVE's various methods and measures of assistance in preparing and initiating contact and dialogue with partners worldwide are depicted in the iMOVE Annual Report 2014. The report is free of charge and available in German and English. It can be downloaded from the iMOVE website. A printed copy can be ordered by e-mail to iMOVE.

Read more Annual Report 2014 by iMOVE

Events Top of the page

The Economics of Vocational Education and Training: Markets - Institutions - Systems

BIBB-Conference on the economics of vocational education and training brings together international researchers on 5th and 6th of November in Bonn to present and discuss recent empirical and theoretical research results.

Read more Programme, Call for papers and online-registration

From Germany's borders to Brussels and back - cross-border vocational education and training

The European Conference staged at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) on 26 and 27 November 2015 in Bonn will look at current developments and potentials of cross-regional and cross-border vocational education and training and especially patterns of cross-border VET cooperation..

Publication Top of the page

Data Report 2014

The 2014 Data Report in English is meant to support the understanding of German VET system by practitioners, decision makers and researchers from abroad. Furthermore, it sets the German system
in an international perspective.
The Data Report is issued by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and supplements the Report on Vocational Education and Training published by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) by providing a wealth of information and analysis relating to various aspects of the development of vocational education and training. The Data Report to accompany the Report on Vocational Education and Training is published annually.

Read more The Data Report 2014

Publications of BIBB staff in English language

You find a compilation of English language publications by employees of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) starting with the publication year 2012. In addition to contributions in periodicals and series issued by the BIBB, we also considered external publications, if at least one of the authors works (or at the time of publication worked) at BIBB. Some of the publications were originally published in German and later translated into English.

Read more Publications of BIBB staff in English language

Imprint

Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)
Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training

Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 114 – 116
53113 Bonn - Germany

Tel.: +49 228 / 107 - 0
Fax: +49 228 / 107 - 2977
Email: bibbnews@bibb.de

https://www.bibb.de/en - The BIBB online knowledge portal

Editorial Team:
Charlotte Schölgens (editor-in-chief)


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