1. Building Bridges Between Education and Employment Lars Thies European Parliament, February 26 th, 2015

2. Page 2 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Connecting the education system with employers General Education Vocational Education Higher Education Employment Dual Studies Dual Apprenticeships Career Guidance

3. Page 3 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Career orientation and guidance helps young people with one of their most difficult decisions Education + Career orientation  Individual assessment and counselling  Exposure to a workplace  Cooperation with businesses Transition Employment  Informed decisions  Motivation  Self-awareness Which Profession? VET University Apprenticeship ? ? ? ? ? ?

4. Page 4 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Dual vocational training is known to be effective in fostering youth employment Apprentices acquire skills that are truly in demand … … and they are in contact with employers.

5. Page 5 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Elements of dual systems in Austria, Germany and other countries can be useful examples for reforms Codified quality standards Complementary school-based VET Joint funding Partnership of government and businesses Dual principle: alternating learning sites Aim: skilled workers with flexible qualifications Goals Individual Economic Social Social acceptance Research Balance of standardization and flexibility Qualified teachers and trainers

6. Page 6 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Government, employers, and trade unions are partners in delivering vocational training GovernmentBusinesses  Design of vocational profiles  Administering VET  Funding  Finding Training Places  Ensuring quality Vocational schools Training at the workplace Trade Unions

7. Page 7 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Dual Studies can ease the transition from higher education into employment in Germany Duality in higher education  Combination of an apprenticeship or work-based learning with a bachelors degree  Cooperation between companies and higher education institutions  Companies choose the students for these programmes  Students often receive remuneration  High demand by prospective students (up to 30 applications per place) High employability Up to 89% of the students are employed by their training company after graduation. Source: Database DualPlus, Federal Institute for Vocational Training

8. Page 8 Vocational training - opportunities for everyone! 26 February 2015 Conclusion Quality is key! Partnership is necessary! One size does not fit all! Award

9. Thank you very much for your attention! Contact: Lars Thies +49 5241 81-81104 lars.thies@Bertelsmann-stiftung.de