Retrospective on Jenna (Petrosky) Paulat, “The German Dual Education System: Evolving Needs for a Skilled Workforce” from A Unified Germany in Federal Europe Perspectives on Business and Economics, Volume 14, 1996 Jenna Paulat is a Marketing Sales &Service: Global Executive Program Manager at Capgemini. This article first examines the structure of Germany’s dual education system and provides insights into some changes in the global economy and the implications that these changes may have on the German dual system. How has the German Vocational Training Act changed since 1996? Paulat discusses the significance of the apprenticeship program in Germany, and its impact on the country’s economy. In the dual education system, students have the opportunity to learn through on-the-job training as well as classroom education. This system was established through the Vocational Training Act of 1969, as cited by (Petrosky) Paulat. In 2005, updates were made to the law. Some changes include improved flexibility in the program, more integrated practical training, and the removal of “fixed boundaries both between company-based and school-based vocational education and training as well as between initial and advanced training” (Federal…, 2020). The Vocational Training Act received additional amendments in 2020. These changes sought to modernize the training system in response to changing technologies. The amendments emphasized the integration of digital skills into vocational training, preparing trainees for the evolving demands of the labor market. A minimum salary was also introduced for the first time in the program. However, today, “Salaries for apprentices are generally set at one-third of the average starting salary for that position, with companies allowed to offer benefits above that” (Fieldman, 2022). This wage is almost equal to the wage that was reported in 1996. In 2023, there were around 1.22 million trainees pursuing apprenticeships in Germany (Davies, 2024). The most common apprenticeship career was in management, followed by mechanical engineering and electronics apprenticeships. Does the German apprenticeship program benefit the economy today? The German apprenticeship program continues to produce a highly skilled workforce that meets the specific needs of industries and ensures that companies have access to qualified employees. The program contributes to a low unemployment rate within Germany and helps avoid skilled labor shortages. The German youth unemployment rate in 2022 was 5.96%, which is significantly lower than the EU youth unemployment average of about 14%. In 2022, “468,900 new apprenticeship contracts were signed in Germany, a 0.6% increase from 2021” (Statistische…, 2023). Today, the retention rate for apprentices is about 50%, which is the same rate reported by Petrosky in 1996. “The dual apprenticeship system accounts for about 66.5% of the learners in the vocational education and training system in 2020” (Federal…, 2024). In addition, apprenticeship employers can invest up to $63,000 (Fieldman, 2022) in training over the course of the students' apprenticeship. The German apprenticeship program continues to prepare skilled individuals for the workforce while strengthening the economy. References Davies, Kasia. (2024, September 12). Number of vocational trainees in Germany from 1950 to 2023. Statista. Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. (2020, February 19). 50 years of the Vocational Training Act. bundesregierung.de (website of the German Federal Government), revised by iMOVE. Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. (2024, September 10). Apprenticeship System. Fieldman, M. (2022, December 14). 5 Things We Learned in Germany. NIST. Statistische Bundesamt (2023, April 12). Vocational Training. [Press Release]. Retrospective by Randi Conroy ‘25 Finance, with mass communication minor Martindale Retrospectives 6 June 2025
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