The Role of National Qualifications Systems in Promoting Lifelong Learning Background Report for Germany (original) (raw)
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In the debate on the draft European Qualifications Framework and the possible development of a German Qualifications Framework (GQF) great interest is being shown in Germany in a qualifications framework that promises transparency and permeability and is based on competences. There has also been opposition on the basis of the fundamental principles of the German system, which has had an impact on some public statements about the EQF. The aim is to create a GQF that can be linked to the EQF, and which covers all areas of education and is geared to practical vocational capacities. The design and implementation of such a tool raises several questions. Are the vocational principle and the acquisition of practical capacities compatible with a qualifications framework based on learning outcomes? What rules should be applied to standard-based certification of learning outcomes obtained non-formally and informally? How can credits function as a precondition for procedures for the transfer, recognition and accumulation of competences acquired? Finally, what consequences ensue for quality assurance in education and training provision? Key words Competence, comparability of qualifications, employability, Germany, lifelong learning, training system European journal of vocational training
Germany's system of vocational education and training: Challenges and modernisation issues
International Journal of Training Research, 2004
The German education system has recently come under fire with the publication of various international studies on student performance (OECD 2000; 2003). And in the first national 'Education Report' (Bildungsbericht) published in October 2003 (Avenarius et al. 2003), the German ministers of education point out serious deficiencies in the country's school system, with too many drop-outs, too few achievers of higher education entrance qualifications and too little support for students coming from poorer families. However, in a remarkable common press declaration released on 17 September 2003, the ministers of education in Austria, Switzerland and the three southern federal states1 deplored the fact that studies such as the recent OECD paper (OECD 2003) tend to neglect or completely ignore the overall significance of formal apprenticeships, which are not only the most striking common educational feature of the three German-speaking countries, but are also the learning pathway for the 'ordinary school leaver'. The ministers claimed that the 'Dual System' with its apprenticeship focus, offers viable and well-accepted routes into skilled employment and modes of socialisation without being part of the formal education system, and they eventually appealed to the OECD to 'accept and investigate the status of vocational education'. This debate, which is also fostered by the announcement of the German Federal Government's determination to substantially increase the number of students entering higher education, brings into focus the tendency in Germany to stick to established modes and practices by valueing 'continuance of tradition' (Phillips 1995, p. 61). It also throws new light
Germany has been facing a few challenges in recent years in terms of its education and training systems. In General Education, the PISA studies (e.g. OECD 2000) have led to a serious discussion on both the quality of learning and teaching in schools as well as to a new debate around the "selectivity" of the so-called "three-tier system" which is composed of lower, intermediate and higher secondary schools. On the other hand, the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system seemed to be able to ward off any severe criticism as there has always been much praise and even admiration from other countries for the apprenticeship system, the so-called Dual System, from politicians and scholars alike. This admiration has been specifically present in the Anglo-Saxon world (e.g., Prais 1981; Raggatt 1988; Keating et al 2002) where attempts to revive or restructure apprenticeships as major pathways into skilled employment have not always been successful (Ryan 2001; Deissinger 2003; Harris/Deissinger 2003). Comparative research has revealed that vocational training systems are determined by a specific "philosophy" or "intrinsic logic" which gives them the character of "black boxes," as they have to be understood "in relation to other societal institutions" including the labour
Tertiary vocational education in Europe: examples from six education systems
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2016
WDP 178 Introduction I 8 WDP 178 Summary and analysis of country reports II 1.2 Tertiary education as explained in the European Qualifications Framework Unlike the ISCED classification, which records programmes of education, the European Qualifications Framework focusses on qualifications. Structural elements are so-called output criteriaknowledge, proficiency and skills. Qualifications in tertiary education are attributed Levels 6 to 8 (CEDEFOP 2011). The ISCED 97 data situation The institutional education programmes and possible courses of education are recorded statistically and published transparently in the international ISCED classification. In accordance with ISCED 97, the tertiary education sector begins at Level 5; ISCED 5B comprises work or practice-oriented educational programmes at vocational schools (Fachschule), universities of cooperative education (Berufsakademie) and similar. The ISCED 5B courses differ from those classed as ISCED Level 5 A as they have a shorter duration (minimum two years, up to three years as standard) and are generally not aimed at entrance to a subsequent university degree, but rather focus on direct entry to the labour market. Master craftsman or technician certifications are only included in the statistics if they are obtained as part of a school-based education pro gramme. Level 5 A comprises academic higher education up to, but not including, doctorate level (e. g. at universities of applied sciences) and Level 6 represents tertiary education as a research qualification. The ISCED has been reworked in recent years. In the ISCED 2011, the tertiary sector covers Levels 5 to 8, being split into four levels as opposed to two levels used in ISCED 97, thereby reflecting Levels 6 to 8 of the Bologna structure. Level 5 is a "new" element, defined as "short-cycle tertiary education". In Germany, only the vocational school programmes (mas ter craftsman apprenticeships) that have a duration of less than three years are classified as such. The statistics presented here are still based on ISCED 97.
Vocational education and training in germany: trends and issues
Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 1997
This article provides a detailed and accessible account of the contemporary structure of the German system for vocational education and training and of some of the main issues and concerns causing current stresses within it. First, we outline the so-called dual system for initial vocational training and the manner in which it is underpinned by the general education system. A number of difficulties threaten the continuation of the dual system in its present form, the most important of which are increasing pressures for the differentiation of, and for greater flexibility in, training provision, and also for restructuring of the system's costs and funding. Secondly, this article describes the much less regulated and discussed field of provision for continuing vocational training and identifies further current troubles affecting this sphere, such as imperfect knowledge and quality, access problems, and-again-the funding of such training.
Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 2004
In Germany, the vocational education and training system has traditionally been regarded as stable and efficient and also well esteemed because it produces highly valued and nationally recognised vocational qualifications. The so-called Dual System still attracts the majority of school-leavers with non-academic aspirations or talents. However, in the past few years the Dual System has faced severe problems, and critics argue that it is in a structural crisis owing to failing operating mechanisms. Furthermore, economic factors have contributed to a critical situation in the training market, with a serious lack of training opportunities. On the other hand, the vocational full-time schools as the second major sub-system of vocational education and training in Germany, though clearly in the shadow of the Dual System, provide a mix of opportunities to achieve general or vocational qualifications. Against this background, vocational training policy and research alike have identified the n...
Comparing the Relationship between Vocational and Higher Education in Germany and France
WZB Discussion Paper SP I 2009-506, 2009
"A number of European initiatives aim to create a European educational space, including vocational training and higher education. Following the logic of difference, we ask whether, despite their different institutionalization, these two sectors in France and Germany react similarly to the Europe-wide Copenhagen and Bologna processes. We compare the relationship between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE), contrasting a number of influential typologies. Analyzing the current situation, we ask whether these differences in postsecondary education and training systems continue to exist. "