"The equivalence of academic and vocational education has to catch on in people's minds"

In an interview with the monthly publication by the Deutscher Beamtenbund (German Association of Civil Servants), "dbb magazin", Johanna Wanka spoke about the dual system of vocational education and training, about immigrants in the public service sector and why federalism offers advantages.

dbb magazin: The 'dual system of vocational education and training' is widely represented as a German success story – also by you, Minister. Yet many businesses providing vocational training complain about applicants whose school qualifications render a successful vocational qualification nearly impossible. Does the theory no longer match practice?

Johanna Wanka: The number of young adults without a professional qualification has further declined. In 2012, 13.1 per cent of people between 20 and 29 years of age in Germany had no professional qualification. Their percentage has continuously decreased over the past years.

In spite of this positive development, there still is a need for action, since people without a professional qualification have fewer prospects of participating in gainful employment. This results in considerable negative consequences – both for the individual and society as a whole. The federal government has reacted in a targeted manner with measures such as the initiative 'Ausbildung und Anschluss – Bildungsketten bis zum Ausbildungsabschluss' (Vocational training and getting in – Educational chains to completion of a training qualification).

We are currently in the process of further expanding this programme to safeguard educational success for young people at an early stage and in a comprehensive manner. To this end, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has joined forces with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Employment Agency. We have bundled our funding instruments. Our objective in doing so is to provide up to 500,000 pupils with analyses of potential at school and up to 115,000 pupils at almost 3,000 schools with career entry guidance.

dbb magazin: After confirmation that the BAföG rates and student allowances will increase in 2016, you now announced to intend to also do more for the so-called master craftsman BAföG. What exactly are you planning to do to support vocational education and training and to thus establish attractive alternatives to a university entrance qualification and degree courses?

Johanna Wanka: As in the case of BAföG for students, we have increased the rates and allowances regarding the so-called master craftsman BAföG. Those successfully passing their exam after attending a funded advanced training course will have to pay back even less. A whole package of other measures will make the Advanced Further Training Assistance Act (Aufstiegsfortbildungsförderungsgesetz – AFBG) even more family-friendly and attractive.
[BAföG: Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, Student loan)

The federal government has identified the reinforcement of the dual system of vocational education and training as a high political priority. We have to once more increase the social appreciation of the dual system vocational education and training provision.

The equivalence of academic and vocational education has to catch on in people's minds. The dual system provides demanding vocational training occupations and interesting prospects. Increasing the attractiveness of vocational education and training is a task that requires businesses in particular to devote themselves with full efforts.

In late 2014, the federal government has entered into the 'Alliance for Vocational Education and Advanced Training 2015 – 2018' with the federal states, industry, unions and the Federal Employment Agency, which underscores the key significance of the dual system of vocational education and training as a success factor for Germany as a site for industry.

The partners in the Vocational Education Alliance jointly promote the further reinforcement of the attractiveness of vocational education and training, improvement of transitions and the winning over of new target groups to become the skilled labour of tomorrow.

dbb magazin: Not only the industry, but also the public service sector urgently needs foreign qualified professionals and young talent. What does your ministry do to create a match between jobs and people?

Johanna Wanka: The public service sector, too, is looking to employ people with a migration background. People with a migration background are familiar with different cultural backgrounds, contribute their specific experience and can promote understanding for government decisions. At the same time, the diversity of CVs and skills presents the civil service sector with the opportunity of expanding its potential circle of applicants in the face of demographic change and the foreseeable shortage of qualified professionals and young talent.

My ministry therefore pursues the goal of increasing the immigrants' interest in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the BMBF. In addition to advertising apprenticeships and jobs at the BMBF on our homepage and on job platforms, we are also involved in the federal government's 'wir sind bund' promotion, which aims at raising enthusiasm for the public service sector in particular amongst youths with a migration background.

We moreover intend to further remove barriers for applicants with a migration background by directly addressing immigrants in our BMBF job postings. Also, we have significantly improved the opportunities for foreign professional qualifications to be recognised in Germany. The federal government's Recognition Act for the first time creates a general legal claim to having a foreign professional qualification assessed regarding its equivalence to the corresponding German profession, thus making an important contribution to safeguarding the demand for skilled labour.

dbb magazin: Every euro invested into education is an option for the future. Yet the ban on co-operation is still in effect. Why, Minister?

Johanna Wanka: Contrary to common portrayal, the Basic Law does not prohibit the co-operation of the federal government and the federal states regarding education and science. For example, the federal government and the federal states are making an important contribution to improving the research system with the Higher Education Pact and the Initiative for Excellence. By amending Article 91 b of the Basic Law, effective since 1 January, the federal government and the federal states even have significantly expanded their options for co-operation. That way we achieve more long-term orientation and sustainability in providing funding for the German universities.

With the Qualification Initiative for Germany seven years ago, the federal government and the federal states for the first time established a comprehensive and target-oriented bundle of measures for all fields of education. Today, we can say with definite pride that the joint efforts of the federal government and the federal states are paying off, because Germany is indeed on its way to becoming a republic of education. We will jointly continue in this co-operation and expand it.

dbb magazin: Education is the responsibility of the federal states, the same as working conditions and remuneration for teachers, which has the effect that rich federal states draw the top performers away from the poorer ones – and the pupils are left standing. Isn't that (a bit) too much competitive federalism?

Johanna Wanka: One of the great advantages of federalism is that decisions are made in a much more citizen-oriented and localised manner than if all things were to be regulated centrally in Berlin. This is yet another reason why both the school system and the university system are fully in the sphere of responsibility of the federal states. The federal states co-ordinate their co-operation regarding education and culture in the Standing Conference of Education Ministers (Kultusministerkonferenz – KMK).

This is where they create the basis for enabling teachers as well as pupils to attain equivalent knowledge and skills across the federal states. The federal government supports the federal states and universities, for example, by way of the Teachers' Education Quality Offensive agreed in the Joint Science Conference, contributing up to 500 million euros towards the development of innovative concepts for the teacher degree course in Germany. In particular, this sustainably improves the conditions for teacher degree course students and graduates when relocating from one federal state to another.