The need for qualified personnel confronts education systems and business worldwide with the challenge to adjust and further develop their initial and further education and training concepts. Specific routes are chosen depending on the situation and national particularities. The articles in this issue provide insight into activities and developments in various non-European countries. They deal with, among other questions, whether and how elements of the dual system of education and training can be transferred. BIBB Research Director Reinhold Weiß stresses in his editorial that duality is much more than providing internships for vocational school students. He sees motivating businesses to take responsibility for the qualified and systematic training of young people as a major challenge. Other contributions in this issue deal with how informal and non-formal learning can be made visible in the context of the German Qualifications Framework, with the connection between gratification crises and tendencies to terminate training contracts prematurely, with a method for constructing categories of commercial occupations and with approaches to employer branding.
In Germany, upgrading training can open up pathways to company positions which in other countries are exclusively reserved for higher education graduates. The question is whether this is reflected in comparable remuneration. The latest OECD comparison provides very little cause for hope in this regard. Nevertheless, the analysis fails to accord consideration to factors which draw a differentiated picture. This is presented here on the basis of the results of a current employee survey.
Mexico is one of the world's major economic locations and, as a G-20 member, is also an attractive place for German companies to do business. Given the global competition in the manufacturing sector, the training and securing of skilled workers is becoming ever more significant. Vocational education and training that provides a combination of theory and company-based training is considered to be a successful strategy for training skilled workers in line with economic needs. For this purpose, Mexico has developed a form of training based on the German dual model which it has then adapted to meet the "tropical" nature of its general conditions. This article presents the characteristics of Mexican dual VET and highlights commonalities with and differences to the German system of vocational education and training.
The dual system of initial vocational training is held in high esteem around the world, including in India; the country faces the challenge of investing qualitatively and quantitatively in skilled-worker initial vocational training. As an effective vocational training infrastructure is established, the commitment of German companies in India also draws attention: how are these companies providing training, and which local structures can they draw upon for support? These questions were pursued in an exploratory study on the vocational training commitment of German companies in India which was commissioned by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and carried out by the National Agency for Continuing Vocational Education and Training in the Skilled Crafts (ZWH). The article presents selected findings.