A historical perspective inspires new ideas

Dear Readers,

It has been twenty five years since the reunification. The initial years were extremely tough on those who became unemployed and were forced to adjust to entirely new careers. The German unification also meant a fresh start for vocational education and training in East Germany. From now on, new statutory framework conditions would apply, new training occupations had to be implemented and effective structures had to be developed for the Chambers of Industry and Commerce. Joint training workshops for use between companies had to be created or, alternatively, the existing institutions had to be updated. Alternative training options had to be created with public funds for those young people at risk of being left without any training due to sudden erosion of industrial structures. This approach was much criticised at the start but has ultimately proved to be the right decision.

The convergence between East and West is clear

Much has happened since then. Significant progress has been made in the alignment process between East and West. Productivity, income and employment have converged, as has the rate of unemployment. The situation in the training market shows barely any difference between East and West. In 2014, the supply/demand ratio was only 0.4 percentage points apart. Some of the growth regions in the East are now doing better compared to some of the economically less developed regions in the West. The familiar East - West distinctions should therefore make way for a differentiated view, organised on a more regional basis - for example, distinctions should be made between metropolitan and provincial / rural regions or between regions of growth and those which are less developed.

Some differences have remained – new challenges have arisen

There are of course still some differences between East and West in the key structural data relating to vocational education and training (such as in trainee pay or the early withdrawals from training contracts). Probably the biggest difference is in the fall in the number of school leavers. This is something which was felt much earlier and at a more serious level in the East than in the West. Furthermore, many school leavers made the move from East to West following unification; a trend which still persists today, even though it is at a much lower level. In the meantime, the economic position at home worsens as a result of this outflow of people. Subsequently, the number of unfilled training positions is now relatively higher in the East than in the West, and, accordingly, the number of unplaced applicants is lower. The shortage of new qualified skilled workers is now proving to be a serious restraint on economic development. Capacities built up in the 1990s are left increasingly underutilized as a consequence of the demographic decline. This presents a major challenge for those representing inter-company training workshops who have expanded and modernised their facilities using public funds.

Reflecting on lost opportunities for reform

Very little remains of the very best elements of vocational education and training in the former GDR. Under the new conditions, survival of vocational education and training combined with the 'abitur' (qualification for entry to higher education) was not possible. It would also have been worthwhile maintaining the tradition of engineering education as well as commissions for the development of individual occupations (Berufsfachkommissionen). It is conceivable that these may have been prematurely thrown overboard in the effort to rapidly establish uniform framework conditions. Now, twenty five years on, it seems entirely reasonable to ask what ideas might be gained for future innovations from looking back at the past.

REINHOLD WEIß
Prof. Dr., Deputy President of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and Head of Research

Translation from the German original (published in BWP 5/2015): Martin Stuart Kelsey, GlobalSprach Team, Berlin