Replicating Germany’s “Dual system”?
Just off the main thoroughfare of Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse is the inconspicuous headquarters of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts. As the tourists pose for pictures outside Checkpoint Charlie – a potent symbol of the Cold War – Dr Christian Sperle provides our delegation with a talk about Germany’s famous ‘dual system’ of vocational training.
The dual element refers to the way 3.6 million firms are bound together with vocational schools in providing a skilled supply of workers to the engine room of Europe’s largest economy. Germany is proud of its 1.4 million apprentices.
This post appears originally on Tom Bewick’s blog, “The Know-How Economy,” where you can read more about his experience participating in AGI’s recent site tours at European vocational training centers.
