Continuing Education And Further Vocational Training : Germany

There has been a remarkable increase in continuing education and further training courses. Last year a third of the country’s employees participated, and in the new states the proportion was over 40 percent. Industry spends more than DM 10 billion every year on further training for the labor force. There are 11 supraregional training institutes run by business and industry, and 30 continuing education institutes. Many large enterprises also run courses for their own employees.

There is a growing willingness to retrain for a different occupation, especially in the computer sector. Courses generally last two years in which full-time tuition alternates with practical training. Three out of four participants in further-training schemes report that they subsequently obtained better jobs. The public sector provided a net total of DM 4.7 billion for “other forms of education” in 1993. During a further-training course, trainees receive grants or loans.

The cost of tuition and teaching materials can be wholly or partly borne by the state. Unemployed people in particular are resorting increasingly to vocational continuing education to improve their employment prospects. Three quarters of the unemployed participants who successfully complete courses find work within six months. The armed forces provide further training for soldiers in their own professional schools. There servicemen can work for all school certificates, including the Abitur. The Vocational Advancement Service of the armed forces organizes initial training courses, retraining and further training.