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Die berufliche Bildung gilt als ein entscheidener Faktor für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit einer Volkswirtschaft. Mit der Vollendung des EG-Binnenmarktes werden die Berufsbildungssysteme der EG-Staaten sowie deren Absolventen stärker als bisher miteinander konkurrieren. Daher ist es erforderlich, sich mit wesentlichen Fakten und Rahmenbedingungen des dualen Systems der Bundesrepublik Deutschland auseinanderzusetzen. Im Vergleich mit anderen Berufsbildungssystemen, besonders Frankreichs, sollen Möglichkeiten zur Weiterentwicklung erkannt werden. Der Autor betrachtet die wesentlichen Fakten und Rahmenbedingungen des dualen Systems der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und vergleicht es mit den Berufsbildungssystemen anderer EG-Staaten. Im Hinblick auf die europäische Integration und eine mögliche Annäherung der Berufsbildungssysteme kommt er zu dem Schluß: "Für die Berufsausbildung in Deutschland ist das duale System mit dem Konsensprinzip und dem offenen Zugang zu gleichwertigen Ausbildungsberufen unverzichtbar. Eine Weiterentwicklung des dualen Systems sollte hinsichtlich der methodisch-didaktischen Gestaltung und der Individualisierung der Berufsausbildung erfolgen. Hierbei könnten die Ausbildungsdauer in stärkerem Maße als bisher der individuellen Lernfähigkeit angepaßt, kombinierte Aus- und Weiterbildungsgänge entwickelt und der Gleichwertigkeit von allgemeiner und beruflicher Bildung beispielsweise durch die Errichtung einer offenen Universität Rechnung getragen werden."

Auf bildungspolitischen Kongressen und Tagungen zu "Neuen Technologien und Weiterbildung" gewinnt derzeit ein Thema an neuer Beliebtheit: Kaum eine Veranstaltung, in der nicht neben dem Gebot der technikspezifischen Qualifizierung die Forderung nach der technikübergreifenden Qualifizierung, nach der Integration von fachspezifischer und allgemeiner Bildung oder nach der Vermittlung von technikspezifischen und sozialen Kompetenzen gestellt würde. Allerdings kann nach der Durchsicht von Lehrangeboten und -plänen in der Weiterbildungspraxis zu "Neuen Technologien" von einer technikübergreifenden Qualifizierung kaum die Rede sein. Im Rahmen einer Untersuchung zur CNC-Weiterbildung haben wir die Teilnehmer selbst nach ihren Interessen an verschiedenen Aspekten fachübergreifender Qualifizierung befragt und nachgehakt, ob der eine oder andere Aspekt doch während der CNC-Lehrgänge zur Sprache gekommen ist.

Der Präsident des Bundesinstituts für Berufsbildungsforschung, Prof. Hans-Joachim Rosenthal, gab Karin Huffzky für die Sendereihe "Hochschule und Gesellschaft" des Senders Freies Berlin (SFB) das hier abgedruckte Interview.

Volunteer commitment is a central pillar of social cohesion. More and more mentoring partnerships have been set up in the area of education and training. These provide young people with individual support and thus facilitate transitions within the system. The national programme VerAplus, which is offered by the Senior Expert Service organisation and integrated into the Educational Chains initiative, is one such example. This article uses data from the programme to investigate which senior experts volunteer as mentors and to look at how these assistance measures are scheduled.

The VerAplus Initiative uses a network of volunteers to support young people. Its goal is to obtain more successful training outcomes. 5,000 retired professionals from all over Germany are involved in the scheme as mentors. Around 80 volunteer regional coordinators play a crucial role in the organisation of local provision. Their remit is to establish VerAplus in their own region and to acquire and support Senior Experts. Alfred Greis takes the Konstanz region as an example to explain how this can be achieved.

Volunteer mentoring can supplement institutional support services by providing further useful assistance to socially disadvantaged young people in training. However, resources and carefully designed programme structures are needed if a volunteer-based approach is to be effective. To this end, the ROCK YOUR LIFE! programme is built on four main pillars. These comprise criteria-led selection and matching of pairs, well-founded training and ongoing support for the mentors, and a culture of recognition which clearly highlights the commitment shown. This article offers insights into how all of this is implemented in the programme.

Volunteer involvement forms the human resources foundation for self-governance in the craft trades and thus ensures the practical relevance and legitimacy of vocational education and training in the sector. This article explains the function performed by voluntary participation in self-governance within the craft trades whilst also highlighting the increasing pressure to which this structure is being exposed as a result of changes to underlying motives and to general prevailing conditions. It concludes by presenting results from expert workshops which indicate the approaches which may be suitable for securing the future viability of this system.

How much time do volunteer examiners dedicate to the commitment they have entered into, and when are personal maximum budgets exceeded? This article uses a 2024 survey of the activities of examiners to respond to these questions and shows the groups and task profiles for which time limits are particularly likely to be reached or exceeded. The results it makes available regarding the expenditure of effort and time limits of examiners in dual vocational education and training may deliver important indications for the further debate surrounding the acquisition and retention of those performing this voluntary role.

Adults with a low level of basic competencies rarely take part in continuing training. The AlphaDekade Initiative has reacted to this by launching various projects aimed at removing barriers to learning for adults with poor literacy skills, through the involvement of volunteers. This article pools the experiences which have emerged from projects funded by the Federal Ministry for Education.

President FRIEDRICH HUBERT ESSER officially retired on 16 June 2026 after over 15 years at the head of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Around 150 guests from the fields of policy making, trade and industry, academic research, VET practice and society came together at BIBB in order to look back at his long-standing service and at shared experiences during his presidency.

In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic and other current societal crises, there is growing evidence that the well-being of many young people is being negatively affected to a greater extent. This affects physical constitution, psycho-social experiences and social aspects alike. Studies show that young people are suffering from increased stress levels and from a rise in loneliness. Such concomitant effects are leaving a mark on education and training histories, in particular including transitions to vocational education and training. Against this background, it is incumbent upon stakeholders involved with schools, training and occupations to investigate these impacts. The aim of the results from the JuCo-V Study presented in the article is to raise awareness of this.

Vocational orientation also takes place during a phase of life in which young people need to deal with numerous development tasks anyway. At the same time, psychological strain amongst young people is on the rise. This raises the question as to whether and how such stresses may have an impact on vocational orientation processes and as to which consequences will follow for the structuring of vocational orientation provision. This article pools available findings and presents a resources-related and prevention-oriented practical example from Saxony.