Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung (BIBB)

Money plays a role!

Are trainees satisfied with their pay?

The opportunity to earn "some money of their own" whilst training represents a particular benefit of the dual system of vocational education and training for young people. However, training allowances paid vary widely and many trainees do not currently earn enough to cover their living costs. More than one in four are prepared to take on the stresses and strains of a part-time job. Some do this to finance their basic living needs, some to fulfil additional desires.

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Press release 26/2010

40 years of BIBB

Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training celebrates its 40th anniversary in Bonn

Speaking in front of 450 guests gathered in Bonn for an event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Institute, BIBB President Manfred Kremer stated: "the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training can look back on 40 years of successful work in the field of initial and advanced VET.
Federal Minister of Education Annette Schavan paid tribute to the successful work of BIBB, which she described as "trailblazing". She explained that in order to make VET policy decisions the Federal Government required analyses and prognoses which had their foundations in reliable academic research surveys and methods.

Press release 27 May 2010

40 years of BIBB: 40 years researching - advising - shaping the future (in German; free Downlaod)

Indicators and benchmarks

BWP 3/2010 now available

As well as being of significance within the context of international comparisons, key statistical data and indicators also form the basis for evidence-based educational policy at a national level. The special focus of the present issue will be on which benchmarks can be selected to "measure" vocational education and training, on how such benchmarks can be developed and on how they can be used within the fields of policy, practice and academic research.

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Girls'Day 2010 at BIBB

From robots to tips on writing an application

Ready, set, go: Girls'Day - the largest vocational guidance project in Germany for girls in form 5 on up - is being held for the tenth time on 22 April 2010. Hosts are primarily technical enterprises, firms with technical divisions and technical vocational training programmes, universities and research centres who all open their doors and offer girls an opportunity to become acquainted with occupational fields that are not typically associated with women. These are usually occupations that require formal vocational training or university degree in a MINT (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences, technology/engineering) field.

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Relaunch of the BIBB Internet portal for trainers www.foraus.de

The BIBB Internet portal for trainers www.foraus.de has been in existence for 10 years. A relaunch has now taken place to give it a fresher and clearer look in line with the BIBB Internet portal family. The new design goes beyond mere optical adaptation. A joint modern content management system also ensures that training staff are provided with the very latest news and information.

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Bachelor degrees and vocational education and training

What changes have been brought about by the introduction of Bachelor courses of study to the education and qualifications system? Are the new vocationally based higher education courses of study in competition with initial and advanced vocational education and training or do they provide an opportunity to exploit synergies? The 2/2010 issue of BWP addresses both these and other topics as it presents initial academic research findings, conceptual considerations and practical examples within its main thematic focus of "Bachelor degrees and vocational education and training".

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Measuring vocational skills and competences

BWP 1/2010 now available

Taking skill- and competence-orientedness as the guiding concept for vocational education and training requires the development of reliable instruments for measuring skills and competences, says BIBB's President Manfred Kremer in the editorial to the current issue of BWP. The articles in this issue present important models and methods for measuring skills and competences in the vocational education and training field and examine them in light of the context in which they developed and with an eye to their objectives.

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Serious effects of the economic crisis and of demographic decline

The development of the training market in 2009

566,004 new training contracts were concluded across the whole of Germany in the period from 1 October 2008 to 30 September 2009. This represents a fall of 50,338, or 8.2%, compared to the previous year. In West Germany, the figure fell by 35,598, or -7.1%, to 467,006. East Germany saw a decrease of 14,740, or -13.0%, to 98,998. The above presents the results of the BIBB survey of newly concluded training contracts as of 30 September 2009. The main reasons for the considerable decrease in the number of training contracts during the reporting year of 200903 are the economic crisis and the significant demographic decline.

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"Education controlling" - An important issue, particularly for large enterprises

A comparative examination of BIBB surveys from the years 1997 and 2008

Controlling is very important in many enterprises. But what about controlling of enterprises' continuing vocational training? The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) conducted a survey on company education controlling in 2008 to follow up on the controlling survey it conducted in 1997.

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