More than half a million young people per year participate in a final examination in the German vocational education and training system. Their goal is to gain certification that they possess the specialist knowledge and skills required in the occupation for which they have trained. But how can the successful acquisition of occupational proficiency be assessed?
The articles in this issue deal with the requirements for the design and implementation of examinations – from writing examination tasks, through choosing the particular forms of examinations and instruments, to evaluating examination performance. The spotlight is also turned on matters concerning the recruitment and training of examiners.
In the editorial, the Head of Research at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), Prof. Dr. Reinhold Weiß, emphasises that final examinations not only measure the trainees’ performance but should also be seen as an indicator of the quality of output of the vocational education system. This makes it all the more important that the requirements for good examinations are actively reflected in practice. Examination staff are credited with a decisive role in this process.
In view of a distinct decline in newly concluded training contracts, an education policy debate has developed over the level of training participation of German industry. Another issue currently being discussed is which indicators can be used to measure this. The article presents the two key indicators and explores their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Over the years, the legal bases for determining the objectives of initial vocational training in Germany have been under continuous development. One outcome, for instance, is the new instructional objective of occupational proficiency as defined in the Federal Vocational Training Act of 2005. While the regulatory instruments describe precisely how the vocational training has to bring about attainment of the objectives, the instructions on conducting examinations remain somewhat vague. One problem is to resolve the tension between examination quality and economy. After an exposition of the legal bases, the article turns attention on this dilemma.
The institutionalised examination system links the education and employment systems. Examinations are used to award entitlements which safeguard institutions, on the one hand, and secure access to parts of the labour market, on the other. The article takes a historical view of the genesis and development of the modern examination system. It takes a systematising approach, addressing the peculiarities of examinations and the examination system with regard to law and regulatory policy, institutions and examination formats. The focus – aligned with the Federal Vocational Training Act (BBiG) – is on the company-based element of vocational examinations.
When young people in Germany enrol for the final examination in the occupation in which they have completed their training, not all of them pass first time. The option is open to them to retake the final examination. It is worth making use of this second chance, as the article demonstrates with reference to selected data from vocational training statistics.
The Federal Vocational Training Act (BBiG) confers important tasks on German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHKs) including the administration of final and intermediate examinations. At an early stage, they established jointly run, centralised institutions for task-setting so as to ensure quality, comparability and objectivity. The article gives insights into procedures and standards for setting written IHK examination tasks on a centralised basis. It begins by looking into national standardisation and the framework conditions of IHK examinations, before setting out concepts and quality assurance elements exemplified by the central task-setting body for commerce examinations, the AkA (Aufgabenstelle für kaufmännische Abschluss- und Zwischenprüfungen).
In the course of an IHK initial vocational examination, the more practical element of the examination has a special status: occupational proficiency can be demonstrated by trainees in typical occupational activities and assessed by the examination committee in direct contact with the apprentices. The article explains in more detail from the viewpoint of the IHK organisation why the practical intermediate and final examinations, in particular, must satisfy special requirements.
With the reform of the industrial metalworking and electrical occupations in the years 2003/2004, the “workplace task” was introduced for the first time as an examination instrument for large, established occupational groups. Despite having been incorporated into training regulations for other occupations in the meantime, it is still giving rise to questions in the course of implementation. The advantages of this examination instrument are pointed out in the interview, which also discusses the as-yet-unresolved difficulties.
Markus Bretschneider; Katrin Gutschow; Barbara Lorig
The introduction of the German Qualification Framework (DQR), establishes an understanding of competence across all sectors of German education that is geared towards occupational competence. But what does this understanding mean for examinations in the dual system? The article introduces selected results of a BIBB research project in which existing examination practice in four selected occupations was studied. Referring to the occupation “Insurance and financial services broker – specialising in insurance” as an example, this article looks at the examination requirements, the setting of tasks and assessment of examination performance in terms of orientation to competences. In conclusion, needs for further development across occupations are pointed out.
The tasks of Germany’s more than 300,000 voluntary vocational examiners include setting examination tasks, conducting examinations and evaluating examination performance. Therefore their training and sound preparation for the examiner’s role makes an important contribution to quality assurance. The article introduces results of an online survey in which BIBB asked examiners about their qualifications, their preparation for work as an examiner, and their requests for support.
In filling the positions on examination committees, the difficulty is to find interested and qualified employees. The article outlines the background to this problem and highlights new ways of recruiting employees, making use of the Internet platform »Prüf-mit!«. The article also draws attention to other functions of the online platform.
The final apprenticeship examination (Lehrabschlussprüfung, LAP) is the sole form of examination for the in-company element of a dual vocational training programme in Austria. The planned introduction of ECVET, the European Credit System in Vocational Education and Training, and the development of a strategy for the validation of non-formal and informal learning in Austria poses new challenges for dual vocational training and for the LAP in particular. This article begins by outlining the basic features of the LAP, after which it presents current developments on ECVET and validation, and discusses approaches for the implementation of these initiatives in the field of dual vocational training.
China is currently one of the largest growth markets in the automotive sector and an important sales market for German car manufacturers. This gives rise to a growing demand for qualified skilled workers. Under the SGAVE (Sino-German Automotive Vocational Education) project, training and examination standards based on the dual model are being developed with a view to developing the initial vocational training of motor vehicle mechatronics workers in China further in the direction of practice-orientation. The article outlines project approaches and initial experiences.
At the centre of the BIBB research project “Requirements of training professionals in the transition from school to the world of work” was the question as to the competences necessary for successful management of the school-to-work transition. The findings show, among other things, that multi-professional cooperation among the professionals involved is particularly important for the establishment of educational chains. The article draws out the subjective views of trainers in relation to their professional practice and understanding of their role, in order to show the perspective they bring to such cooperation.
With growing outcome-orientation in the education system, the value of continuing education is becoming a central topic of discussion, along with methods and procedures that make it possible to measure and assess learning outcomes. The article discusses how to design learning-outcome analyses and what measuring methods and instruments are practicable for that purpose in the continuing education context. In conclusion, a prospective look is taken at the economic valuation of learning outcomes.
At T-Systems Slovakia in Košice, eastern Slovakia, 30 trainees started a three-year German-style dual apprenticeship as “Information technology specialists for system integration” in September 2013. In summer 2016 they will be among the first to acquire a Slovakian-German double qualification. The article outlines the concept, initial experiences of implementation and further perspectives.
At the beginning of the new training year on August 1, 2014, the modernised initial vocational training programme for the occupation of “Confectionery technologist” came into effect. The new occupational profile was developed in response to changes in the working world in that industry. The article introduces the key innovations to the content of the training occupation, and deals with “employment contexts” as a structural model.
The German National Qualifications Framework (DQR) in practice
In accordance with the European recommendation on the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), certificates are now expected to include a reference to the EQF level of the qualification. When the first such certificates are awarded, questions will be asked about the value of this documentation. The article describes the current status of implementation, counters misunderstandings and gives a perspective on necessary steps in development.
The Board of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) chaired by Manfred Humpert, employers' delegate, devoted its attention to the draft of the Annual Vocational Training Report and the current training places situation, the theme of dual studies in Germany and the Ascot project on technology-based assessment of skills and competences in vocational education and training. A recommendation for terms of reference on the structure and quality assurance of advanced vocational training pursuant to the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts and Trades Regulation Code (HwO), which was passed by the Board, was noted by all groups as a particular milestone.