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International Handbook of Research in Professional and Practice-based Learning pp 397–425Cite as

Professional Education Between School and Practice Settings: The German Dual System as an Example

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Abstract

This chapter uses the case of the dual system in Germany to derive general and exemplary conclusions for co-operation between school and practice settings in professional education. It can be shown that co-operation between two learning settings as unequal as enterprises and schools does not come by default. It needs to be organized taking into account didactical, organisational and governance dimensions. The dual system is used to illustrate how these dimensions impact vertical and horizontal co-operation on four distinguishable action levels: macro-, exo-, meso- and micro-level. Characterising schools and enterprises as incommensurable living environments is then used to shape the requirements for didactical designs, which leverage the fact that learners in the dual system cross the borders between these settings regularly. Here it is pointed out that each setting is constituted by distinct rationalities and both have a theoretical and practical dimension. If co-operation is still to be fostered, school and enterprise actors need to find a ‘higher standard’, which can be used to design sequences of instructions in the alternating settings. Therefore the learners perspective is to be considered. Finally a ladder-model of co-operation in vocational education and training is employed to systematise best practices for co-operation between school and practice settings.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As is shown later on, VET in enterprises can also have a specific administration. It is, for example, part of the German governance approach to regulate VET in enterprises. The chambers have the function of public authorities in regulating the education work going on in enterprises.

  2. 2.

    Didactic is not an approach just referring to vocational education and training. It is a general mindset for learning and teaching perspectives in various socio-economic living environments as well as the aims of these processes and mechanisms to regulate instructions.

  3. 3.

    For more on curricula based on learning areas, see Sect. 15.3.4.

  4. 4.

    Figures from: BIBB 2009, 111, 172.

  5. 5.

    Figures from: DESTATIS 2012, 86.

  6. 6.

    This subsection is based on the experiences in the research-programme WisLok which was founded by the Federal Minister for Research and Science (cf. HELP 2001; Dilger et al. 2001).

  7. 7.

    This chapter is based on results from the project‚ FäLou’ which was funded by the German Research foundation (cf. Sloane 2004).

  8. 8.

    This is of course also a matter of the different curricula as schools in Germany traditionally have research or science based syllabi during training profiles that are driven by practical problems. See also Sect. 15.3.4.

  9. 9.

    This chapter is based on a number of research projects (NELE, segel-bs, mosel) completed for the Federal Minister of Research and Science and the Ministries of Culture in Bavaria, Hessen and North-Rhine Westfalia between 1999 and 2009. The outline of this chapter was first published by Hubert Ertl and the current author (Ertl and Sloane 2004; see further Sloane 2004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Business Administration and Economics, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany

    Peter F. E. Sloane

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  1. Peter F. E. Sloane
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Correspondence to Peter F. E. Sloane .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education and Professional Studies, Adult and Vocational Education, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Stephen Billett

  2. Institute of Educational Science, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany

    Christian Harteis

  3. Institute of Educational Science, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Hans Gruber

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Sloane, P.F.E. (2014). Professional Education Between School and Practice Settings: The German Dual System as an Example. In: Billett, S., Harteis, C., Gruber, H. (eds) International Handbook of Research in Professional and Practice-based Learning. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8902-8_15

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