New training year begins with 12 updated occupations

The new year of training starts officially on 1 August with 12 updated dual training occupations ranging from “automobile business administrator” to “sales assistant for retail services”. Once again, over half a million young people and adults will begin their new professional lives with a new training agreement in their pocket.

Friedrich Hubert Esser, President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) emphasises that, “the vocational education and training system has repeatedly demonstrated flexibility and adaptability as a result of the interaction of the Federal Government, federal states and social partners over previous decades.” He adds that vocational education and training is also well prepared for the advancing digitalisation of the world of work and the resulting changes to qualification requirements. “The availability of skilled workers, technicians and master crafts people with dual training qualifications means that, in the future, companies will be able to call on qualified personnel with company experience for recruitment to jobs in the digital age which also require specialists with complex profiles.” Esser continues, adding that this requires companies to carry on using the benefits of vocational education training proactively for the recruitment of their skilled workers and for personnel development.

Overall, twelve updated training occupations will come into effect at the start of the new year of training on 1 August 2017:

• Automobile business Administrator
• Biological laboratory assistant
• Biological modeller
• Broom and brush maker
• Butcher
• Retail management assistant
• Piano and harpsichord maker
• Air traffic management assistant
• Footwear maker and finisher
• Service employee in air traffic
• Process technologist for the milling and grain production industry
• Sales assistant for retail Services

Young people and young adults can select from a total of 327 recognised dual training occupations. The adaptability of dual vocational education and training in Germany is illustrated by the fact that, since 2007—together with the Federal Government, social partners and experts from company practice—the BIBB has revised a total of 150 training regulations and updated these for the current economic, technical and societal requirements. This involved updating 135 training regulations and creating 15 training occupations from new.

In 2016, approximately 20,500 new training contracts were concluded in nine training occupations which had been updated over the previous year.

Currently, work is already under way in the BIBB on updating more than ten further training regulations which are likely to enter into force in 2018. This includes, for example, e-commerce management assistant, diamond polisher, painter and varnisher, and metal working process technologist.

As with all modernisation or updating procedures, the skeleton curriculum required for the school-based section of the dual education and training is developed in parallel by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the states in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK).

The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training has also taken on trainees. 12 young people and adults will start their professional lives in the BIBB on 1 August. There will then be a total of 32 trainees receiving training at the start of the new training year in the five occupations of office manager, event manager, information technology specialist, information technology specialist—specialising in systems integration, specialist in media and information services, and specialist in market and social research.

Specimen copy requested if printed.