Certified vocational training – implementing an Irish model Advantage? Reduce youth unemployment and create skilled labour force to fill gap in companies’ demands What is it? Combination of practical experience and theoretical training for 2 years Exists for more than 50 years in Germany (1969, vocational training act) Very successful model, cost efficient, easy way into employment for all parties How does it work? Company decide on syllabus Contract with employee and company lays out the training programme Employee gets approx. €1000 a month, company provides training The employee goes to vocational training school for at least 12 hours per week Companies work together, shared services Chamber manages the parties involved: companies, training schools, semi-state bodies And takes care of syllabus, exams and quality management Main difference to existing training programmes are:

a) companies “not buying training” --- they “create the training” b) stronger cooperation and dependency with all parties involved

Why we are here? Department can benefit from vocational training scheme enormously Programme needs to be stimulated to get it started Department to initiate pilot project, take ownership and support the scheme Germany is happy to support if Irish Government is interested Next steps? Providing more detailed information to person who is responsible within the Department Visit for 1 day to Germany – fact finding mission to explore training scheme to discuss concrete projects

The German System of

Dual Vocational Training

German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce

Hamburg Chamber of Commerce

DIHK

Dual Vocational Training

The gap between training and the demands of the labour

market is a common complaint about vocational training

Vocational School School

certificate

internship internship

General school

Labour market

company

company

company

company

company

Dual Vocational Training

The German system combines training on-the-job

with theory classes in vocational schools

Labour

market

company

company

company

company

company

General

School

Dual Vocational Training

Vocational

School:

Theory

Training on-the-job

Training on-the-job

Training on-the-job

Training on-the-job

Training on-the-job Fin

al

ex

am

P

racti

cal

part

T

heo

ry

Dual Vocational Training

The system is called „dual“ for the parallel training

at the workplace and in vocational schools

3-4 days per week

Qualified in-house trainers

Standard training curriculum

Apprenticeship contract

• 1-2 days per week

Vocational school teachers

School curriculum

Governmental framework

Specialized occupations Specialized but broadly Occupations cutting

employable occupations across different branches

Dual Vocational Training

350 standard curricula across all sectors are defined by sector

experts and decreed by the federal government.

Dual Vocational Training

The German system of Dual Vocational Training has been

established as a Private-Public-Partnership since 1969

Legal framework

Research

Initiate training

Monitor training

Assure quality

Validate success

School curricula

Teachers with DVT

experience

Midterm and final exams

Development of

standard curricula

Training on-the-job

Examinations

Financial investment

Chambers

Vocational

schools

Companies

Government

Delegation of

operations

Fin

an

cing

Fin

an

cing

Shared training

Private Public

Vocational Training Act

The German federal Vocational Training Act is

the national framework for vocational training

Framework on quality standards for

companies, trainers, examiners, training contracts

Formal recognition of training curricula

Scientific research on vocational training

Delegation of implementation to competent bodies

on the local level Chambers

Dual Vocational Training

On the local level, chambers are the competent bodies

in charge of coordinating vocational training

Vocational Training Act

shared

training

Vocational Schools

Companies

Competent Body

for implementation

and quality assurance

IHK

Dual Vocational Training

The local chambers coordinate companies and schools,

assure quality and issue proficiency certificates

Competent

bodies

Initiate training

advise companies

and learners

Monitor training

counselling,

mediation, local

database on training

needs

Assure quality

register companies,

trainers, contracts;

vocational training

board

Validate

success

organize exams,

issue certificates of

proficiency

Dual Vocational Training

The issuing of proficiency certificates by the chambers

is a result of the private-public-partnership

Planning

Joint

development of

occupational

standards

Financing

In-house

training by

companies

Vocational

Schools by the

Government

Implementation

67%

in-house

training

33%

school courses

Examination

Jury

of in-house

trainers and

school teachers

Organizsation

by local

chamber

Proficiency

Certificate

of local

Chamber

IHK

Dual Vocational Training

The Private-Public-Partnership is a triple win situation for

companies, government and apprentices

Dual Vocational Training

German companies and the government invest in vocational training and benefit from low youth unemployment

Youth unemployment rate

8,5% Germany

22,5% EU average

Dual Vocational Training

1,6 Mio. apprenticeships

600.000 new contracts every year

Company activities

500.000 companies offering apprenticeship

positions

80% are SMEs

320.000 company in-house trainers

160.000 company jury members

Financial investment 30 bn. € companies

3 bn. € government

Advantages

Arguments in favour of dual training

Advantages for the industry

• Secures the skilled labour needed

• Reduces cost of settling-in

• Increasese motivation and loyalty to company

• Job-specific qualification

• Productive performance of trainees

Advantages

Arguments in favour of dual training

Advantages for young people

• Good prospects on the labour market

• Recognized certificate

• Practical orientation

• Payment of an allowance

Division of Responsibilities

Division of responsibilities in dual training

Industry

Employers and Unions

• Draft proposal for the creation of new and the updating

and existing training occupations

• Nominate experts for participation in the drafting of

training regulations

• Negotiate provisions in collective agreements, for

example, concerning the amount of allowance paid to

trainees.

Division of Responsibilities

Division of responsibilities in dual training

Industry

Self-governing bodies (chambers)

• Advise the stakeholders in training

• Supervise training in the company

• Verify the aptitude of companies and training

instructors

• Register training contracts

• Administer examinations

Facts and Figures

School students Dual training

Currently about 1.6 million trainees in 348 training occupations

A majority of young people learn in the dual

system

Youth Unemployment Rate

Youth unemployment rate in December 2011 (under-25s) in %

8,3 8,4

14,2 14,416,7 16,7 17,0

18,419,9

22,6 23,0

27,029,3

30,7 31,1

33,735,0

49,3

8,6

26,9

0,0

10,0

20,0

30,0

40,0

50,0

60,0

Ger

man

y

Aus

tria

Neth

erland

s

Denm

ark

Malta

Luxe

mbo

urg

Unite

d Sta

tes

Belgium

Cze

ch R

epubl

ic

Finland

Franc

e

Swed

en

Polan

d

Hung

ary

Bulga

riaIta

ly

Ireland

Slova

kia

Por

tuga

l

Spa

in

in %

State: December 2011 / Source: Eurostat

Conclusion

• German dual training is an excellent system for qualifying

skilled workers.

• It leads to a win-win-situation for companies, government

and young people, altogether.

• But it’s also a very complex system. It works because of its

history and long tradition in German culture.