Vocational Education Act
Berufsbildungsgesetz (BBiG)

Vocational Education Act of 23 March 2005, at last amended by Art. 9b of the Act of 7 September 2007

The German system of dual vocational education enjoys worldwide recognition and is considered as a model. The objective of the Vocational Education Reform Act (Berufsbildungsreformgesetz), which entered into force on 1 April 2005, is to ensure the training opportunities for young individuals and to guarantee a higher quality of their vocational training – irrespective of their social or regional origin.

With the revision of the Vocational Education Act on 1 April 2005, young people with or without a migration background are offered new perspectives for their vocational education. The BBiG reform improves the conditions for co-operation between all partners in the dual training system. Among other elements, it also creates an opportunity to admit graduates of full-time vocational training schools and other non-company training courses to the certificate exams set by the Chambers of Industry and Commerce or the Crafts Chambers.

§ 1 of the Act containing the “Vocational education objectives and definitions” provides the basis for the regulatory system governing vocational education, and its definition of the generic term “vocational education” includes preparatory courses for vocational education courses, vocational education courses as such, further vocational education as well as vocational retraining.

The Act also determines that the vocational education course must be a structured training course and impart the necessary vocational skills, knowledge and abilities (vocational qualifications), which are needed to perform a qualified occupation in our changing world of work. In this context, vocational education must enable the trainee to acquire the necessary work experience.

The Act also defines the places in which vocational education is provided, and its applicability to vocational education, unless that education is provided in vocational education schools, which are within the scope of the Schools Acts of the Länder. In addition to the recognition of training courses and certificates, the Act contains provisions on the testing of new vocational training certificate courses as well as the various types of vocational education and examinations.

The amendments entering into force on 1 April 2007 also include provisions on the further development of vocational education statistics.