- 2015Implementation
- 2016Implementation
- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
Objectives
The objectives of the Alliance for initial and further training are:
- reducing the number of young people without school leaving certificate;
- providing each person with a path leading to a VET qualification;
- reducing the mismatch between applicants seeking apprenticeship places and companies offering them, and supporting the regional mobility of applicants;
- strengthening further training, particularly advanced VET at tertiary level;
- increasing the number of apprenticeship places and companies willing to provide them
Description
The 2015-18 Alliance for initial and further training was agreed between the Federal Government, Federal States, business and industry, the unions and the Federal Employment Agency at the end of 2014.
Within the alliance, sectors committed to providing 20 000 places annually for introductory training (transition programme), which has been implemented: 17 500 young people took up this type of training in 2015 and 21 000 in 2018. Evaluations showed that around 70% of young people moved into regular apprenticeships within six months after completing introductory training.
The partners also agreed to offer training places for assisted VET (AsA) for disadvantaged learners, including mentoring adapted to apprentices' needs. Apprentices were eligible to receive a basic training allowance during the pre-vocational phase. They could also receive continued support throughout the pre-vocational training and apprenticeship from the same provider. 10 000 young people started the assisted training in 2018.
In 2016, a process to help find training places/apprentices was put in place: every young person who was still looking for a training place on 30 September of a given year should receive three offers for company-based training. Trade unions and employer organisations participated in the initiative.
In 2019, 17 000 young people took up introductory training EQ (Einstiegsqualifizierung; actual expenditure in 2019: EUR 39.46 million based on SGB III and II). Further, 8 000 young people started an assisted training AsA (Assistierte Ausbildung; actual expenditure in 2019: EUR 59.84 million based on SGB III and II) in 2019.
The 2015-18 Alliance was renewed and a new agreement 2019-21 was signed by all partners (Federal Government, Länder, chambers, employer and employee organisations, Federal Employment Agency) on 26 August 2019. A kick-off meeting took place in November 2019.
The renewed Alliance for initial and further training 2019-21 is further committed to strengthening the attractiveness, quality, performance and integrative power of VET. The main goal is still to enable more young people to find an in-company apprenticeship place and more companies to fill their apprenticeship places. The Alliance also aims to strengthen VET with its modern advanced training opportunities (especially at tertiary level) and career paths as an equivalent alternative to academic education.
In April 2020, the Alliance partners (including BMBF, DIHK, DGB) published a list of current measures (and corresponding links) providing support to apprentices and training companies during the COVID-19 crisis.
New challenges for the training market have arisen due to this crisis. In a joint declaration on 26 May 2020, the Alliance partners agreed on special measures to support training companies and secure apprenticeship placements during and after the pandemic. This declaration was the main basis for the new federal programme, Securing apprentice placements, during the crisis.
The declaration covered six fields of action:
- support for affected companies;
- reopen VET schools and enable digital learning;
- ensure final examinations;
- ensure the continuation of training programmes that have been started;
- stabilise the training offer and enable new contracts;
- support for initial, continuing and further training providers.
In 2021, the Alliance was extended until 31 December 2022.
In March 2021, the partners of the Alliance for initial and continuing vocational training agreed on measures to strengthen vocational training and to stabilise the training market to avoid a COVID-19-related decline in supply and demand in the 2021/22 training year. The focus will be on strengthening vocational orientation, training counselling and matching for apprentices and companies and financial support for the preparation of apprentices for examinations. The Federal Securing Training Places programme will extend and expand the funding opportunities for companies that provide training.
In the Summer of VET initiative (June to October 2021), the joint efforts of the Alliance partners succeeded in placing vocational and dual training prominently in the public eye, regionally and nationwide. The initiative included around 800 regional events to get more young people and companies interested in VET.
In 2022, the Alliance for initial and further training continued to promote dual VET with its good labour market and earning opportunities - highlighting the very good prospects for all young people of finding a training place. The alliance website was relaunched and its thematic contents were updated with many new links and videos addressing training companies and young people. The continuation of the alliance is planned for 2023 onwards.
As part of the Week of vocational training from 14 to 18 March 2022, live chats with vocational counsellors took place on Youtube. The employment agencies informed those responsible for training in companies about how they can use in-company training to secure their skilled labour needs for tomorrow, how they can present themselves to young people as an attractive training company and which recruitment channels are suitable for attracting apprentices. In addition, funding opportunities were presented that contribute to stabilising training relationships and successfully leading apprentices to a vocational qualification.
The Summer of VET initiative was reconducted from May until November 2022 to support the VET market with more than 750 events and campaigns nationwide. Young people were given insights into more than 300 apprenticeship occupations and career opportunities. Many young people were brought together with potential training companies. The campaign was accompanied on the social media channels under the #AusbildungSTARTEN. Four guiding themes have shaped this Summer of VET:
- providing vocational guidance,
- showing the attractiveness of training,
- strengthening the diversity of talents and
- promoting post-placement.
Bodies responsible
- Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) (until December 2021)
- Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS)
- Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
- Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration
- German Trade Union Confederation (DGB)
- Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK)
- Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA)
- Federation of German Industries (BDI)
- German Confederation of Skilled Crafts (ZDH)
- Federal association of liberal professions (BFB)
- Federal Employment Agency (BA)
- Federal States
- Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)
Target groups
Learners
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs)
- Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
- Learners with disabilities
- Learners from other groups at risk of exclusion (minorities, people with fewer opportunities due to geographical location or social-economic disadvantaged position)
Entities providing VET
- Companies
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- VET providers (all kinds)
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
This thematic sub-category refers to expanding VET to higher levels and developing VET programmes leading to qualifications at EQF levels 5-8.
This thematic sub-category refers to acquisition of key competences and basic skills for all, from an early age and throughout their life, including those acquired as part of qualifications and curricula. Key competences include knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by all for personal fulfilment and development, employability and lifelong learning, social inclusion, active citizenship and sustainable awareness. Key competences include literacy; multilingual; science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM); digital; personal, social and learning to learn; active citizenship, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression (Council of the European Union, 2018).
This thematic sub-category covers all developments related to work-based learning (WBL) elements in VET programmes and apprenticeships which continue to be important in the policy agenda. It includes measures to stabilise the offer of apprenticeships, the implementation of the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships, and using the EU on-demand support services and policy learning initiatives among the Member States. It also covers further expansion of apprenticeships and WBL to continuing VET (CVET), for transition to work and inclusion of vulnerable groups, and for improving citizens’ qualification levels.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to ensuring smooth transitions (permeability) of learners within the entire education and training system, horizontally and vertically. It includes measures and policies allowing learners easily or by meeting certain conditions to move from general education programmes to VET and vice versa; to increase qualification levels in their vocation through the possibility of attending vocational programmes at higher levels, including professional degrees in higher education. It also covers opening up learning progression by introducing flexible pathways that are based on the validation and recognition of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of incentives that encourage learners to take part in VET and lifelong learning; VET providers to improve, broaden and update their offer; companies to provide places for apprenticeship and work-based learning, and to stimulate and support learning of their employees. It also includes measures addressing specific challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) willing to create work-based learning opportunities in different sectors. Incentives can be financial (e.g. grants, allowances, tax incentives, levy/grant mechanisms, vouchers, training credits, individual learning accounts) and non-financial (e.g. information/advice on funding opportunities, technical support, mentoring).
This thematic sub-category refers to providing high-quality lifelong learning and career guidance services, including making full use of Europass and other digital services and resources.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
Osnabrück Declaration
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation