Unlocking the Potential of Migrants in Germany
The German vocational education and training (VET) system is admired around the world for its ability to prepare young people for skilled employment. In Germany, VET smooths transitions into work and is closely aligned with labour market demand. This report focuses on an unprecedented test of the German VET system: how to respond to the significant increase in migrants who arrived in the country in 2015-16. The study explores both the opportunities and the challenges presented by migration. Germany has already devoted significant attention to VET as a mechanism for enabling integration – and for good reason. Work-based learning assists integration because it demonstrably gives learners skills that employers want in real-world settings. The report assesses the barriers faced by learners in their journeys into and through VET, exploring how such challenges can be addressed. In addition, the study looks at system-wide issues in relation to how VET provision and integration policy is governed. Lastly, it explores opportunities for increased flexibility in the German VET system of relevance to all youth at risk of not succeeding in VET. In responding to migrant needs, German VET can become more inclusive without reducing quality.
Support during vocational education and training in Germany
While most vocational education and training (VET) students learn their skills during an apprenticeship without additional support measures, some apprentices struggle to complete the training. Broadly speaking, students with immigrant parents are generally as content with their apprenticeships as students with native-born parents. They are more likely to participate in additional support measures, but are more likely to drop out of VET, and the apprenticeship contract cancellation rate is particularly high for students from the main asylum countries. For humanitarian migrants, a major issue is weak language skills, which makes it difficult to follow the theoretical curriculum in VET schools. This can indicate that many migrants need targeted support during their apprenticeship, which can increase the chances of completing the training and secure a stable connection to the labour market. This chapter discusses the challenges migrants might meet during their apprenticeship training.
- Click to access:
-
Click to download PDF - 651.31KBPDF