Vocational Schools : Germany

Apart from learning on the job, the trainee has to attend a part-time vocational school one or two days a week for three years. The schools teach general subjects and the theory which trainees are better able to learn in the classroom than at work. Performance is assessed in a final examination and documented by a certificate issued by the competent body (chamber). Vocational schools are also obligatory for all young people under the age of 18 who attend no other type of school. These students do a “pre-vocational training year” in which they are taught the theory which eases their choice of training.