Attitutes towards apprenticeships are beginning to change, according to the education secretary. Speaking as he left Germany after a three-day fact-finding trip, Damian Hinds said he had been struck by the “parity of esteem between the technical and the academic route” in the country.
“The dual-system [of training apprentices in the workplace and at college] is a long-standing system in which all of German society is involved,” said Mr Hinds.
However, things were starting to change in the UK, too, he said: “I detect already over the last two years that there is a change in attitude. More and more people are considering an apprenticeship, schools are talking about it more as an option and if you talk about something like degree apprenticeships - that creates a halo effect for the whole apprenticeship system.”
“Government cannot do this on its own, but between government and businesses and the education system, we can do something about this.” He said the Institute for Apprenticeships and the increased involvement of employers would also help ensure the high quality of apprenticeships and therefore boost their reputation.
Different systems
Over the last three days, Mr Hinds has visited education institutions and meet with employers, policymakers and apprentices in Düsseldorf and Dresden.
Speaking to Tes from Dresden, he highlighted the world-wide reputation of the German dual system - where around half of young people are trained as apprentices both in the workplace and in colleges - but also acknowledged the fact that Britain could not simply adopt the German model.
“We are in Germany because of its very high reputation around the world for its technical and vocational education. I am very conscious you cannot just look at another system and copy bits of it in isolation.”
Challenges of its own
He said there were stark differences between the UK and Germany when it came to things like traditions, the role of what in Germany is called “der Mittelstand”, and the disparities between German’s regions.
Mr Hinds also said the German system had challenges of its own, and he had been hearing about the importance of continuously promoting the dual system. “You cannot take it for granted,” said Hinds.
“But as we go about some very important reforms around apprenticeships and soon with T levels due to come in, it is right to look at systems like Germany.
He said in addition to the esteem in which vocational and technical education were held, he has also been impressed by the deep involvement of businesses in the apprenticeship system in Germany. This ranged from them employing large numbers of apprentices for often long apprenticeships to designing the content of the qualifications and assessing apprentices. “That is what we are doing with the Institute for Apprenticeships,” said the education secretary.
He added the lessons from his trip to Germany and the Netherlands, where he will arrive this evening, would “inform us as we continue to develop the apprenticeship programme and as T levels are introduced”.
