Anne Bartel-RadicProfessor of Management Sciences at Sciences Po Grenoble and the CERAG laboratory; Barbara Ofstad, doctoral student at the Business Science Institute

Germany's apprenticeship system guarantees a level of employment among young people that is admired throughout Europe. In fact, 47% of managers in Germany come from this type of training, supplemented by continuing education with "technician" (Techniker) or "master professional" (Industriemeister) diplomas. This outnumbers the 39% of managers with an academic background (i.e. with at least a Bachelor's degree).

Germany's apprenticeship system is often cited as an example in France, as a way to integrate young people into the world of work, and as a bulwark against youth unemployment. Yet 86% of German secondary school students are enrolled in programs combining work and school, compared with only25% in France. Why is this?

An ancient story

The dual apprenticeship system originated in the craft tradition of the Middle Ages. It was successfully adapted to the industrial age, becoming the cornerstone of the German vocational education system. It has, of course, undergone profound changes: new professions are being prepared for it, such as the digital or mechatronic professions, and cross-disciplinary skills such as digitalization and sustainable development have been added.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from the single collège for all French children, the German school system allows students to choose a course of study at the end of four years of elementary school, at the age of 10 or 11:

• the path to excellence is through the Gymnasium (the equivalent of lower and upper secondary school), where approximately 40% of the young people in an age group prepare for the "Abitur" (German baccalaureate) in 8 or 9 school years. baccalaureate); if we add to this the vocational baccalaureates giving access to higher technological education (Fachhochschulreife), this rate rises to over rises to over 50% - whereas in France, 80% of an age group graduates in France ;
• an intermediate level of qualification is the "Realschulen "Realschulen", which, after 6 years of study, culminate in the the equivalent of one year of technological secondary school, often at the age of 16 or or 17;
• a 5-year "Hauptschulen" or "Werkrealschulen" track at a lower level;
• or "Gesamtschulen", a combination of the above.

Traditionally, it was students from the "Realschule" or "Hauptschule" who then opted for apprenticeship training. Today, the boundaries are less clear-cut. Around 30% of school leavers go on to an apprenticeship (often before going on to higher education), while a proportion of Hauptschulen and Realschulen students go on to other school-based courses. Today, only around 45% of Hauptschulen and Realschulen leavers take up apprenticeship training.

In Germany, apprenticeship training prepares students for a specific trade, and lasts between two and three and a half years. It is a dual system: part of the training is carried out in the company where the apprentice is hired under an apprenticeship contract; the other part takes place at the vocational training center.

Apprenticeships are, by definition, at pre-baccalaureate levels of study, and culminate in an equivalence with the baccalaureate (although universities may require apprentices to pass an exam before starting their studies). TheFederal Institute for Vocational Education and Training advises the public authorities and coordinates the definition of vocational training content with the social partners.

Vocational training is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economics, which collaborates with the Conference of Ministers of Education of the 16 Länder responsible for school education, and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. The majority of practical and manual skills are therefore the responsibility of companies.

Successes and difficulties of the German system

Apprenticeship training in Germany continues to enjoy great success: 47% of all managers are apprentices. Companies that recruit apprentices usually do so with a view to integrating young people into their organization on a long-term basis. In large industrial companies, managers draw up succession plans, often for five years: in 2021, they define how many apprentices they will recruit in 2022, so that they can take up permanent positions in the department in 2025 and 2026, once their apprenticeship is over.

The attractiveness of German apprenticeships has suffered, however, in a society that seems to value academic diplomas more than vocational diplomas awarded by Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Many secondary school teachers have no particular knowledge of vocational careers, and hardly ever recommend this route to school leavers, despite the fact that it offers salaries comparable to those of graduates from academic courses.

For the past fifteen years, "dual studies" - similar to apprenticeships in French higher education - have been gaining ground. Here, studies alternate with periods of work experience. In Germany, two models of dual studies coexist: the "integrated training" model ("ausbildungsintegriertes Duales Studium"), which includes a diploma awarded by the CCI, and the "practice-oriented" model ("praxisintegriertes Duales Studium"), which dispenses with it. But whether it's a traditional apprenticeship or dual studies with or without a CCI diploma, a contract with the company is the basis for a job with a training purpose.

Given the shortage of German workers with intermediate qualifications (Facharbeiter), and in view of demographic changes, it is likely that the number of apprentices will stabilize in the coming years. On the other hand, the system will need to become more dynamic and flexible if it is to successfully adapt to current developments, and train for the key skills of the future. Solutions to the challenges of increasingly virtual work, digital transformation and, consequently, the revitalization of know-how are desirable.

Can the system be transposed to France?

According to a study based on an international comparison, the key success factors of an apprenticeship training system are as follows:

• Governance by companies and social partners, who are responsible for training;
• curricula with a strong business focus, but also including cross-disciplinary and progressive skills;
• system performance and profitability for companies;
• shared responsibility for training quality and quality control mechanisms;
• the flexibility of the system to adapt and develop training courses;
• the attractiveness of the apprenticeship system to young people ;
• efficient, transparent management. In France, there is still considerable room for improvement on many fronts.

The differences between France and Germany relate in particular to the role of companies in the training system, and the benefits they derive from it. In Germany, the company recruits the young person, and his or her place in the training center (or even in higher education for dual studies) automatically follows. In France, it's the schools that select the young people who then look for a contract with a company to complete their training - but the selection is made first and foremost by the school.

Furthermore, it is the apprenticeships and their supervisory bodies that largely define the content of the training courses, whereas in Germany, companies are fully involved in drawing up the curricula by representatives of employers and employees. Finally, German companies recruit "their" apprentices for a period of two to three and a half years - whereas French apprenticeships last an average of two years.

The curricula in vocational training centers are characterized by the predominance of an academic pedagogy and, above all, apprentices are not really integrated into strategic human resources planning. This weakness is offset, however, by the fact that companies can now set up their own training centers, allowing them to see work-study programs as a real investment. The gradual convergence of apprenticeship schemes in higher education between France and Germany could have positive effects on traditional apprenticeships in France in the future.

Apprenticeships at CAP and BEP level are much less attractive to young French people, as they offer little in the way of further training. The situation is different for post-baccalaureate apprenticeships in professional bachelor's or master's degrees, engineering or business schools, equivalent to the "dual studies" in Germany, and its image has improved considerably in recent years.

Typical careers for senior executives are still very different in France and Germany. In Germany, they still often start their professional lives "from the ground up" and rarely (if ever) change companies. The typical career of a French executive, on the other hand, involves academic training and "grandes écoles" (private and public), positions of responsibility from the outset, and frequent changes of employer and position.

Starting your training with an apprenticeship at CAP and BEP level makes it virtually impossible to aim for high-level positions in a large company, nor does it predestine you for well-paid, highly-skilled well-paid, highly-skilled technicians. At completing their apprenticeship, young Germans obtain an equivalent equivalent to a school-leaving certificate, and many go on to higher higher education. Thus, it is above all at the cultural level that barriers to a greater appreciation of apprenticeships in France. in France.

But digital transformation and the arrival of new generations on the job market are also overturning these French-style hierarchies: they're driving the need for a new, less hierarchical management style, based more on skills than titles. Against this backdrop, apprenticeship at all levels of training could well experience a renaissance in France, and contribute to innovation. If we add to this the shortage of French skilled workers and technicians, isn't a change in mentality and systems inevitable?

This article was originally published on The Conversation on September 12, 2021.