The German Dual Vocational Model of Apprenticeship Training:
A Model of Partnerships and Effectiveness.

Training in the United States has always been a topic of concern for all industries. In the global world that we now find ourselves operating in more and more emphasis has been placed on an educated workforce to keep industry competitive in this new global economy. In order to keep US training at the highest level possible, it requires industry to explore other models used throughout the world and to benchmark best these practices to improve our training methodologies.

One of these training models that deserve attention is The Dual System of Vocational Training found in the Federal Republic of Germany. This model was discussed at the Spring 2006 Training & Education Committee of the International Foundation and an invitation was extended to the International Foundation for Employee Benefit Plans to participate in an apprenticeship exchange seminar that studied this system. The purpose of this educational seminar was to provide an opportunity for educators in apprenticeship training to learn first-hand about specifics of the German Dual Vocational System/ Apprenticeship System in comparison to vocational/apprentice training in the United States. The seminar was designed to allow the participants to visit the three major partners of the Dual Vocational System: government, industry and the labor unions. This seminar revealed that there are many components to training within the German system that are applicable in the United States.

The purpose of this article is to give the reader an understanding of the Dual Vocational System used in Germany in order that we may improve our system of training by borrowing those practices that could make our apprenticeship system more effective. The articles will also describe some of the schools and workplaces visited by the 2006 Apprenticeship Exchange Seminar in Munich Germany.

The German Educational System

In order to understand the Dual System it needs to be seen within the context of the overall educational system. The German Educational System has as its foundation Kindergarten, primary school up through grade four and three distinct tracts that the student can follow depending on the interest of the student. This is where the German system differs from the US system. Students have the option and/or are directed to three different tracts. It is important to note that at this conjuncture in the student’s education the parents and the school system play an important role in choosing which path the student will take. The first option is to enter the traditional tract that that students in the United States follow, the high school tract. This tract will prepare the student to enter into a traditional university setting. A tract called the “Gymnasium”. Upon completion of this tract the student must complete an examination that verifies that he or she is ready to enter the university.

The second option is to enter the Intermediate School, a tract that will take the student through the 10 grade. After completing the 10th grade the student then has the option to enter a full-time vocational school for a two year period of time. It is important to note here that the student does not receive any on-the-job training. Upon completion of the two year vocational training the student then has the option of continuing his or her education by entering a specialized college or soliciting a job in the area that the student pursued in vocational training.

The third option available is to enter the Secondary School which prepares the student to enter into the Dual System, the system that we are interested in exploring. This model was derived from the Vocational Training Act of 1969 and it consists of three major partners: government, industry and labor unions. The Vocational Training Act specifies: How training and supervision is established; examination qualifications and requirements; legal responsibilities of all parties; rights and responsibilities of both the trainer and the apprentice; and, oversight for the program. This is a very comprehensive system in that within the system there are almost 400 apprenticeship occupations. These occupations include: construction, business, banking, kindergarten teacher, mechanic, hairdresser, and baker, just to name a few.

The Process:

When the student is near completion of the ninth grade they will make an application to become an apprentice for a company. The company will select the number of apprentices needed from their pool of applications and give an “employment contract” to those apprentices for the duration of the apprenticeship. This obliges the company to work the apprentice for the duration of the apprenticeship and obliges the apprentice to meet certain conditions while serving the apprenticeship.

The apprentice will then enter the vocational training center (Berufsschule) that trains in his/her selected field. The Berufsschule is the state sponsored vocational training center. The student will work four days per week in the work-place and attend school for related classroom training one day per week. The idea is to integrate the theoretical aspects of the profession, math, science and language into the apprenticeship.

During the 2006 apprenticeship exchange seminar we were able to visit three different Berufsschule’s to experience first-hand how the theoretical training is incorporated into the student’s professional instruction. These visits also demonstrated resourcefulness of the leaders of these schools. In Munich we visited two schools. The first school was the vocational training center for cabinet makers/ furniture makers. Cabinet making/ furniture making in Germany is still prevalent and the students learn every aspect of the trade. Attention to detail is a hallmark of these programs. The apprentice will learn everything from basic hand-drawing to computer-aided design. These schools believe in incorporating the old with the new. The workshops were outfitted with the latest technology in wood working machinery, but the funding for these machines did not all come from the state. The schools would form partnership with machine manufactures and these manufactures would provide new machines to the school. To overcome some funding short-falls the school even started a small business to generate funds. One small business that they started was to manufacture computer desk for the other schools in the Munich area. The money generated from the sale of these desks went to purchase additional equipment in the school. The leadership demonstrated “outside of the box” thinking by starting these ventures. The second school visited in the Munich area was the school for all the building trades professions. Again, in this school attention to detail was a keep teaching component. In the drywall hanger class the students were taught to bend drywall around a corner, where it is normally cut and a corner bead nailed on the corner. This process take a lot of time and on the job would cost a lot of money. When we asked it this is the way they did it in the field they replied no! It would take to long and cost too much money. The same though we had. We asked they why teach it to the students. The answer was: So they can learn how to work with drywall. Another observation was that the occupations were more specialized than in the United States.

The third vocational training center was located in the town of Weiden that had about thirty different programs as compared to the schools in Munich. In Munich there would be a school for each area of training, i.e. building trades, whereas in rural areas many programs would be consolidated in one school. For the apprentices, it a petty good deal. They will receive a wage from the employing company for the duration of the contract. These wages will vary depending on the field chosen, but one can expect to earn $600.00 per month during the first year and up to $1,800.00 per month during the last year of apprenticeship. Not too bad for a 17 year old living home with mom and dad.

Once the apprentice has completed his/her apprenticeship there is no guarantee that the new journeyperson will have a job with the company that he/she served the apprenticeship with, but they normally go to work for those employers.

The Role of Industry: Chamber of Commerce/ Chamber of Crafts

The Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Crafts have the most prominent role in the dual system. These are the umbrella organizations that represent industry in the Dual System. The Chamber of Commerce is not the same as the Chamber of Commerce in this country. In Germany, if you are in business you must be a member of the Chamber of Commerce or in the case of construction companies, one must be a member of the Chamber of Crafts. These organizations carry the responsibility for registering the training contract. They develop the curriculum for the apprentice program. They develop the practical interim and final exams that the apprentice must complete to progress through the program. The chamber, in partnership with the union and educational officials, monitor the practical interim and final exams. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, the chamber will issue the journeyperson credentials. In addition to all these responsibilities, they help fund and staff the training center within their respective workplaces.

The apprentice will spend additional classroom training at a vocational training center located at the employer’s site or in a craft guild training center. This is an important aspect of the apprenticeship. This is where the apprentice learns how the profession is tailored to the company where he/she works. In the case of building trades occupation, it is more important because in the majority of the cases, an apprentice will have a contract with a contractor that specializes in an area of the field. An example would be an electrician apprentice working for a residential contractor. This apprentice would not be exposed to and would not gain experience in the other specialties of the field. In order to overcome this short-coming, the craft guild training center will train apprentices in all aspect of the trade, so that when they complete their apprenticeship they would at least had some experience in all specialties of the trade. We were able to experience this aspect of the system by visiting the craft guild (Innung) training center for the Plumbers, Heating & Sheet Metal.

Within an industrial setting, we were able to visit the Siemens Technical Training Centers in Munich and in Amberg. Siemens trains more than 7,000 apprentices per year and accepts 2,000 new apprentices each year from a pool of more than 50,000 applicants. Siemens trains apprentices in their five primary business areas. These areas area: electronics professions; information technology; metal professions; technological professions and business administration. While in apprenticeship at Siemens, apprentices will spend their time at three different places: the state vocational training center (Berufsschule), the Siemens technical center and on the job at Siemens. The time spent in the Berufschule is constant each year for the duration of the apprenticeship, but the time spent in the Siemens technical center is less in the later years than the earlier years, while time spent at the job is less in the earlier years and more in the later years. As the student becomes more proficient he/she will spend more time on the job. At the completion of this process the apprentice becomes a journeyperson with Siemens. The process of learning and continuing one’s education does not end with the journey person certificate. Siemens especially embraces the concept of life-long learning and provides opportunities for the worker to continuation on with education. The worker has many options to follow. The worker can continue on to acquire a Master Certificate. The worker can go to a specialized technical college to become an engineer. The worker also has the opportunity to go to the university to receive a professional degree.

This type of continuing education has also been embraced by programs in the United States. Apprenticeship programs in Kentucky have developed partnerships with the Kentucky Community & Technical College System and with Ivy Tech State College in Indiana to add an Associate Degree Program to apprenticeship completion. This concept of life-long learning makes the worker a more valuable employee and more marketable to meet the demands place upon workers by a global economy.

Siemens has also started a program in mechatronic certification. A mechatronic system is a system in which mechanical, electronic and computerized components interact with one another. We see these types of systems in industry conveyor systems, in subway systems, in airplanes, in power systems which generate the electricity and in manufacturing facilities.

There is a growing need for solid, up-to-date, industry-focused qualifications in integrated mechatronic systems; both for installers of these types of systems, as well as for professionals will be maintaining those systems. We believe that by adopting this type of certification, as well as other internationally recognized certifications, that workers will be more able to meet the challenges of tomorrow. And, those companies that have workers with this type of certification have a competitive advantage over its competition. As an outcome of this seminar the Kentucky Community & Technical College System will be the sole provider of this type of instructor training in the United States. It is their hope to provide instructor training for other technical colleges and apprenticeship programs in Siemens mechatronics certifications.

One of the highlights of the seminar was to listen to two presentations by Peter Olfs, a retired Siemens executive. These two presentations occurred on the first day of the seminar and set the tone for the entire week. His presentations were titled the “Challenges of managing international projects” and “How to get around cultural stumbling blocks in global business.” These presentations allowed the participants in the seminar to see the world from a different point-of-view. In viewing the world differently, the participants were better able to understand why Siemens trains they way they do in Germany. The culture and values of a country have a lot to do with the way “things get done” in a country.

The Role of the Union

In Germany the union structure is quite different than that found in the United States. The German Confederation of Trade Unions is the umbrella organization for the eight unions in Germany. These eight unions are: Industrial union for construction-agriculture & environment; Industrial union for mining, chemicals & energy; Union for education and science; Industrial union for metal workers; Union for food beverages & catering; Police union; Transnet railway workers; and, United services union. These eight unions represent 25% of the German workforce.

In the Dual System training there is a high degree of cooperation and involvement between the union and management. This cooperation and involvement can be attributed to the system of co-determination in which labor and management work together to chart a future for the industry in which the work. Labor plays an important role in the decision making process at different levels of the structure of the industry. This representation can be seen at five different levels within the industry: employee council, the supervisory board, regional level committee for vocational training, the state level for vocational training and the federal level of vocational training. The union will, of course negotiate wages for the workers and monitors the administration of the interim and final examinations.

In conclusion, the week spent exploring the dual vocational training model was an exciting and educational experience. The seminar is so informative that regardless of your field of expertise there is something new for you to learn. I would highly recommend participation.