Introducing Dual Vocational Education and Training in Europe: A Reform Strategy

When the G20 Labor Ministers agreed in 2011/2012 on dual vocational education and training in their countries, there was no need for lengthy deliberations. The facts spoke for themselves: In countries with a developed dual vocational training system, unemployment rates for young people are well below 10%. The European Commission as well as numerous EU countries have launched a €6 billion “Youth Guarantee” initiative, a program to establish dual vocational training in Europe. Steps of a reform strategy “dual VET in Europe”: In a first phase, the aim is to establish an interlinked national, regional, and local VET dialogue and VET research with the participation of representatives of the plural governance of the dual VET system. The second phase was to build the infrastructure for a dual vocational training system: In a third phase, the innovation project will focus on establishing a continuous dual education pathway.