Apprenticeships are part of Germany's

dual education system A dual education system combines apprenticeships in a company and vocational education at a vocational school in one course. This system is practiced in several countries, notably Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol and in the German-speak ...

. In some officially recognized trades such as

marine engineering Marine engineering is the engineering of boats, ships, submarines, and any other marine vessel. Here it is also taken to include the engineering of other ocean systems and structures – referred to in certain academic and professional circ ...

, completing an apprenticeship is mandatory. In others, such as

food technology Food technology is a branch of food science that addresses the production, preservation, quality control and research and development of food products. It may also be understood as the science of ensuring that a society is food secure and ha ...

, it may still be recommended or required by employers to do so.

Background

apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulat ...

is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in a regulated profession. Most of their training is done while working for an employer who helps the apprentices learn their trade or profession. This work is paid, and a minimum wage for apprentices is defined by law since 2020. Wages increase yearly during the apprenticeship, reflecting the increasing skills and productivity of the apprentice. Apprentices are covered in the German health insurance system. If they are younger than 18 years, they are protected by additional labour regulations, for example limiting night shifts and daily work hours to lower numbers than for legal adults. Some companies require by contract the apprentices' continued labour for an agreed period after they have achieved measurable competencies.

History

Kathleen Thelen Kathleen Thelen is an American political scientist specializing in comparative politics. She is the Ford Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a permanent external member of the Max Planck Institute f ...

has traced the origins of the modern system of plant-based apprenticeship in Germany to the legislation passed by the German government in 1897. German vocational training institutions have gradually changed since then; however key features of the original system are still in place. In 1969, a law (the ''Berufsbildungsgesetz'') was passed which regulated and unified the vocational training system and codified the shared responsibility of the state, the unions, associations and the chambers of trade and industry. The dual system was successful in both parts of the divided Germany. In the

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

, three-quarters of the working population had completed apprenticeships.

Infrastructure

In Germany, there are 342 recognized trades (''Ausbildungsberufe'') for which an apprenticeship can be completed. They include for example doctor's assistant, banker, dispensing

optician An optician is an individual who fits glasses or contact lenses by filling a refractive prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. They are able to translate and adapt ophthalmic prescriptions, dispense products, and work with acces ...

, plumber or oven builder. The dual system means that apprentices spend about 50–70% of their time in companies and the rest in formal education. Depending on the profession, they may work for three to four days a week in the company and then spend one or two days at a

vocational school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary education#List of tech ed skills, secondary or post-secondar ...

(''Berufsschule''). This is usually the case for trade and craftspeople. For other professions, usually which require more theoretical learning, the working and school times take place blockwise e.g., in a 12–18 weeks interval. These ''Berufsschulen'' have been part of the education system since the 19th century.

Popularity

In 2001, two-thirds of young people aged under 22 began an apprenticeship, and 78% of them completed it, meaning that approximately 51% of all young people under 22 have completed an apprenticeship. One in three companies offered apprenticeships in 2003, in 2004 the government signed a pledge with industrial unions that all companies except very small ones must take on apprentices. The latent decrease of the German population due to low

birth rate Birth rate, also known as natality, is the total number of live childbirth, human births per 1,000 population for a given period divided by the length of the period in years. The number of live births is normally taken from a universal registr ...

s is now causing a lack of young people available to start an apprenticeship. The number of companies offering an apprenticeship is also decreasing, shrinking from 25 to 20 percent between 2011 and 2016. Parts of employers also complain about people lacking maturity required to start an apprenticeship today, which however ignores the case that expectations towards apprenticeship starters were lower in previous generations.

Apprenticeship after general education

After graduation from school at the age of fifteen to nineteen (depending on type of school), students start an apprenticeship in their chosen professions.

Realschule Real school (, ) is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), F ...

and Gymnasium graduates usually have better chances for being accepted as an apprentice for sophisticated craft professions or apprenticeships in white-collar jobs in finance or administration. An apprenticeship takes between 2.5 and 3.5 years. Originally, at the beginning of the 20th century, less than 1% of German students attended the Gymnasium (the 8–9 year university-preparatory school) to obtain the Abitur graduation which was the only way to university back then. In the 1950s still only 5% of German youngsters entered university and in 1960 only 6% did. Due to the risen social wealth and the increased demand for academic professionals in Germany, about 24% of the youngsters entered college/university in 2000.Andreas Hadjar, Rolf Becker: "Die Bildungsexpansion: Erwartete und unerwartete Folgen. 2006. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften; p. 32/33 Of those who did not enter university, many started an apprenticeship. The apprenticeships usually end a person's education by age 18–20, but also older apprentices are accepted by the employers under certain conditions. This is frequently the case for immigrants from countries without a compatible professional training system.

Business and administrative professions

The precise skills and theory taught on German apprenticeships are strictly regulated. The employer is responsible for the entire education programme coordinated by the German

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

. Apprentices obtain a special apprenticeship contract until the end of the education programme. During the programme it is not allowed to assign the apprentice to regular employment and he is well protected from abrupt dismissal until the programme ends. The defined content and skill set of the apprentice profession must be fully provided and taught by the employer. The time taken is also regulated. Each profession takes a different time, usually between 24 and 36 months. Thus, everyone who has completed an apprenticeship, e.g. as an industrial manager (''Industriekaufmann''), has learned the same skills and has attended the same courses in

procurement Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. The term may also refer to a contractual ...

and stocking up, controlling,

staffing Staffing is the process of finding the right worker with appropriate qualifications or experience and recruiting them to fill a job position or role. Through this process, organizations acquire, deploy, and retain a workforce of sufficient quanti ...

accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...

procedures,

production planning Production planning is the planning of Production (economics), production and manufacturing modules in a company or industry. It utilizes the resource allocation of activities of employees, raw material, materials and production capacity, in ord ...

terms of trade The terms of trade (TOT) is the relative price of exports in terms of imports and is defined as the ratio of export prices to import prices. It can be interpreted as the amount of import goods an economy can purchase per unit of export goods. An ...

and transport

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

and various other subjects. Someone who has not taken this apprenticeship or did not pass the final examinations at the chamber of industry and commerce is not allowed to call himself an ''Industriekaufmann''. Most job titles are legally standardized and restricted. An employment in such function in any company would require this completed degree.

Trade and craft professions

The rules and laws for the trade and craftwork apprentices such as

mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...

bakers A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

joiner Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...

s, etc. are as strict as and even broader than for the business professions. The involved procedures, titles and traditions still strongly reflect the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

origin of the system. Here, the average duration is about 36 months, some specialized crafts even take up to 42 months. After completion of the dual education, e.g., a baker is allowed to call himself a bakery

journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

(''Bäckergeselle''). After the apprenticeship the journeyman can enter the master's school (''Meisterschule'') and continue his education at evening courses for 3–4 years or full-time for about one year. The graduation from the master's school leads to the title of a

master craftsman Historically, a master craftsman or master tradesman (sometimes called only master or grandmaster) was a member of a guild. The title survives as the highest professional qualification in craft industries. In the European guild#organization, gui ...

(''Meister'') of his profession, so e.g., a bakery master is entitled as ''Bäckermeister''. A master is officially entered in the local trade register, the craftspeople's roll (''Handwerksrolle''). A master craftsman is allowed to employ and to train new apprentices. In some mostly safety-related professions, e.g., that of

electrician An electrician is a tradesman, tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the ...

s only a master is allowed to found his own company.

License for educating apprentices

To employ and to educate apprentices requires a specific license. The AdA – ''Ausbildung der Ausbilder'' – "Education of the Educators" license needs to be acquired by a training at the chamber of industry and commerce. The masters complete this license course within their own master's coursework. The training and examination of new masters is only possible for masters who have been working several years in their profession and who have been accepted by the chambers as a trainer and examiner. Academic professionals, e.g.,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

s, seeking this license need to complete the AdA during or after their university studies, usually by a one-year evening course. The holder of the license is only allowed to train apprentices within his own field of expertise. For example, a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

would be able to educate industrial mechanics, but not e.g., laboratory assistants or civil builders.

After the apprenticeship of trade and craft professions

When the apprenticeship is ended, the former apprentice now is considered a

. He may choose to go on his

journeyman years In the European apprenticeship tradition, the journeyman years (, also known in German as , , and colloquially sometimes referred to as , ) is a time of travel for several years after completing apprenticeship as a craftsman. The tradition date ...

-travels.

References

External links

Facts about Germany: Apprenticeships, Federal Foreign Office
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108180058/http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/540.0.html , date=2015-01-08 Apprenticeship Vocational education in Germany Beginners and newcomers Education in Germany