OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training Unlocking the Potential of Migrants in Germany

Foreword
Executive summary
	Getting the migrants ready for VET
	Getting into VET
	Supporting during VET
	Governing the system
	Exploring increased flexibility
1 Overview: Unlocking the potential of migrants through vocational education and training in Germany
	About the project: Unlocking the potential of migrants through vocational education and training
		The recent inflow of migrants represent a significant challenge for German society, but also major opportunities
		The youth cohort is getting more diverse
		Germany’s population is ageing rapidly
	The German upper secondary VET system and the apprenticeship market
		The German upper secondary VET system
		Dual apprenticeships
			Demand and supply for apprenticeships
			Matching demand (apprentices) and supply (employers)
	Immigrant youth in the German apprenticeship market
		Asylum seekers and refugees
			Dispersal and settlement policies for asylum seekers and refugees in Germany
			Educational aspirations
			Legal frameworks for accessing VET and VET-related support measures
		Young natives with immigrant parents
			The educational background of young natives with immigrant parents
			Educational aspirations
	Summary strengths, challenges and policy pointers
		Strengths
			Building on a strong VET system
			Germany has made impressive and creative efforts to date in addressing barriers preventing migrant access to VET
		Challenges and summary of policy options
			Chapter 2: Getting informed about VET
			Chapter 2: Building the necessary skills to enter VET
			Chapter 3 Getting into VET
			Chapter 4 Support during VET
			Chapter 5 Governing the system
				Ensuring policy coherence
				Secure evidence needed to make informed policy decisions
				Ensuring policy co-operation and peer-learning
			Chapter 6 Exploring increased flexibility in the VET system
	References
	Notes
2 Getting migrants ready for vocational education and training in Germany
	Getting informed: Supporting young people with limited networks and knowledge about the apprenticeship system
		Background: The provision of career guidance to migrants
			Germany has a well-developed career guidance system
			Germany’s approach has been innovative
			Additional guidance services for migrants
			Social networks can affect the job search and the overall success in the labour market
		Challenges in providing career guidance for migrants
			Some migrants lack basic understanding of the education system including of VET options
			Migrants aspirations are often high, while many tend to underestimate the prospects of VET
			The career guidance system is well-developed and extensive, but practices seem to vary between the Länder
			Despite general good provision, some new arrivals may not receive the support they need
		Policy message
			Ensure that existing career guidance services are pro-active, personalised and co-ordinated.
		Policy arguments
			Why career guidance for migrants is important
			Pro-active, accessible career guidance for migrant students can be an effective mechanism to broaden career aspirations
			Enhancing co-ordination can provide a holistic guidance service that meet adult migrants’ complex needs
			Individualised approaches can work better to meet the migrants’ complex needs
	Building the necessary skills to enter VET
		Introduction: Preparation for VET is differently organised for school-age migrants, young migrants and adults
			The provision for school-age migrants
			Länder have introduced specialised preparatory classes in VET school for young recent arrivals, combining language learning and skills building
			Many young migrants from the main asylum countries participate in preparatory traineeships
			The PES provides programmes to prepare adults for VET
			Language support for adult migrants
		The challenges in preparing migrants for VET
			Learning the language takes time
			Assuring the quality of the language courses can be challenging in periods of high demand
			Many of the preparatory programmes within the transition system organised by the Länder are aimed at young people who are still of compulsory school age
			While some Länder have started evaluating these preparatory classes within the transition system, there is generally little evidence on their effectiveness
			Participation in preparatory classes varies substantially across Länder
			Participation in preparatory programmes for adults by the PES has been rather low
			Combining different preparatory programmes for adults by the BAMF and PES can lead to a preparation time of up to three years
		Policy message
			Ensure that recent arrivals have access to high quality language learning at an early point and throughout their training. Consideration should be given to scaling up provision that focuses on combining language learning and VET as this is a particul...
			Make sure that there is sufficient evidence on the effectiveness of existing preparatory programmes through evaluations.
			Make sure that existing preparatory programmes are consistently available across Länder.
			Consider increasing the access to successful preparatory programmes to students over 18 years old.
			Increase peer-learning between the Länder on successful programmes.
		Policy arguments
			To improve language skills among migrants, make sure that the language courses are accessible and assure the quality of the training
			Language courses that are relevant for a vocational area can improve learner motivation and thereby success rates
			Regional differences in preparatory programmes can help to determine what approaches work best and how to improve programmes
			It is beyond the scope of the youth course and PES programmes to build academic skills
			Building on existing structures of the preparatory classes can be more effective and efficient
	References
	Notes
3 Getting into vocational education and training in Germany
	The issue and challenges
		Migrants and natives with immigrant parents are less likely to find an apprenticeship than those without a migration background
			Migrants are less likely to enrol in dual VET
			Numbers of asylum seekers and refugees in VET are still low
			Migrants have more difficulties in finding apprenticeship places
			Migrants with lower socio-economic background are struggling the most in finding an apprenticeship placement
			Securing an apprenticeship can be difficult even for natives with immigrant parents
			Even when taking contextual circumstances into account, migrants are still significantly less likely to secure an apprenticeship
			Barriers when searching for an apprenticeship
		Getting employers on board to hire recent arrivals and young people with a migrant background
			Employers bear a larger financial risk when taking on “weaker” VET students and assessing their skills levels can be challenging
			Getting incentives right is difficult
			Financial incentives are unlikely to gain traction if skills of VET applicants are too limited
			Legal uncertainty creates additional disincentives for employers
		Tackling discrimination in the apprenticeship market
			Discrimination in the hiring process is widespread
			Discrimination in the labour market is particularly pronounced for Muslim applicants
			Perceived discrimination is high among refugees
	Policy message
	Policy arguments
		Getting employers on board
			Evaluations of introductory training show that they facilitate transition into regular VET
			There is some indication that employers value EQ as a stepping stone for recent arrivals into VET as it can help employer assess the migrants skills level
			Employers are concerned about legal uncertainty and employer associations have expressed their need for more long-term planning
		Tackling discrimination
			Diversity training is an important starting point to raise awareness about implicit bias and can give guidance on how to avoid discrimination in the application process
			Creating opportunities for employers and applicants to meet in person can help to decrease stereotypes
	References
	Notes
4 Support during vocational education and training in Germany
	Issues and challenges in supporting apprentices, schools and employers
		Many migrant apprentices struggle to complete the training
			Satisfaction of youth with migrant parents with VET is mixed, but not consistently worse than apprentices without a migrant background
			Migrants have higher chances of dropping out of VET
			The completion rate of VET for migrants is generally lower than apprentices without a migrant background
			There is a general lack of teachers, which can make it challenging for schools to follow up on struggling learners with additional needs
			Co-operation between employers, VET schools, the PES and social services can be improved
		From VET into the labour market: Evidence on the transition into employment
	Policy message
	Policy arguments
		Recent arrivals might be in need of support during the training, which can improve their chances of completion
		Additional support for migrants can also be beneficial for employers and increase their willingness to provide training for struggling learners
		Providing support for employers can lower their risk of taking on struggling learners
		Supporting migrant apprentices during the school part of the training can improve their language and academic skills and so increase completion rates
		With the VET cohort changing in terms of increasing numbers of migrant apprentices, it is important to be ready to scale up promising measures
	References
	Notes
5 Governing the vocational education and training system in Germany
	The complexity in the governance of VET
		The governance of VET aiming integration is a complex issue across OECD countries
		The complexity of governance on the issue of VET and migrants in Germany
		Challenges can arise in securing consistency in policy and co-operation across the regions
	Ensuring policy coherence
		The challenge of ensuring policy coherence
			Many measures have in recent years been implemented by a broad range of stakeholders
			The risk of a complex governance structure can be a lack of co-ordination between stakeholders and overlaps in provision
			The federal strategy on integration covers VET, but it lacks concrete, measurable goals
			New stakeholder groups have arisen but are to a limited degree involved in the policy development
		Policy messages: Taking steps to ensure consistency in policy across policy domains and governance levels
		Policy arguments
			A coherent and overall strategy can help ensure consistency
			Current efforts in co-ordinating policy at the federal level and between the Länder can support the implementation of a strategy and promote collaboration across established governance lines
			Involve new stakeholder groups to keep policy relevant
	Secure evidence needed to make informed policy decisions
		Challenges relating to data and evidence
			The culture of experimentation stands strong, but presents challenges for peer learning and continuous improvement
			Lack of information makes it difficult to distinguish the effectiveness of practice
		Policy message: Information, data and evidence are crucial elements in developing mechanisms to identify effective practices
		Policy arguments
			Evaluation of new approaches can help identify successful projects so that good practice can be shared and scaled up
			The collection of data on migrants should be strengthened and made more coherent to inform policy decisions
	Ensuring policy co-operation and peer-learning
		The challenge of policy co-operation and peer learning across regions
			The Länder have established a co-ordinating mechanism to discuss VET policy at the federal level
			There are challenges with securing policy co-operation and peer learning across regions
			Building sustainability in projects locally can be challenging
		Policy message: Ensuring policy co-operation and peer-learning
		Policy arguments
			The federal level can take a stronger role in facilitating peer learning
			Funding schemes to support sustainability in projects
	References
6 Exploring increased flexibility in the vocational education and training system in Germany
	Issues and challenges
		Migrants can get stuck in the transition system or in other preparatory measures which do not lead to the development of formal competences
		Lack of flexibility in the VET system can be particularly challenging for struggling learners
		The dual model stands strong in Germany
		Options do exist for more flexible pathways, but these are not used much
		Some local initiatives are however exploring alternative models
		Not many adults attend apprenticeship training
	Policy message
	Policy arguments
		By developing more flexible models that target specific groups, migrants can have higher chances of succeeding
		Many of the key stakeholders find more flexible models important in order to integrate migrants
		Prioritising VET provision which leads to a formal competence can be more effective for the apprentice, the employer and for the society
		Increased flexibility in the VET system can be achieved in different ways depending on who the target group is
		A prolonged model can give weaker learners, including many migrants, extra time to meet with the academic requirements of apprenticeship training
		Shorter models can reduce entrance barriers as well as provide training that leads to a partial qualification
		A modular approach can give flexibility in the provision from which especially adults can benefit
	References
	Notes
Glossary
	References
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