Apprenticeship Programs: What Can We Learn from Germany?

Apprenticeship Programs: What Can We Learn from Germany?

by Megan Ware, Director of Workforce Development

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Munich, Germany to witness, firsthand, their apprenticeship and dual education system. The Stronger Together Manufacturing Workforce Missions are organized and administered by MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network and the American Council on Germany with generous support from the Transatlantic Program of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through funds of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Our task was to study the German Dual Vocational & Educational (VET) system from all angles, and to determine what lessons and findings could be brought back to strengthen our own practices and economy.

During our weeklong stay, that was packed with visits to small, medium, and very large manufacturers we were able to participate in honest discussions with Vocational Schools, Social Service Organizations, manufacturers, and community stake holders. Consistently we heard about the German pride and commitment to apprenticeships and the dual system that couples hands-on-learning with theoretical learning. Many of the students were as young as 15 and already invested in their future career in this tried and true ‘earn and learn’ model. For many students, completing an apprenticeship is just the first step in their education. Many had plans to continue to study their trade with aspirations of receiving an advanced degree.

The question, how can we take what the Germans (and Swiss) do and integrate it into the Utah education system? I can say, after being a key player in standing up two youth apprenticeship programs, that it is possible and it does work. Many of the players and pieces exist, it is a matter of getting everything working together cohesively to ensure quality and success. This type of system not only reaches into the K-12 space to educate about manufacturing careers, it grows our talent pool organically with young people eager to enter the workforce.

It would be easy to oversimplify the process and make it seem easy, it is not. It takes a large commitment from the industry partner to drive the process. With the UMA Foundation as your apprenticeship intermediary, we can leverage our experience, knowledge, and contacts to partner with you to create an apprenticeship that works for your company. We’re here to help manage details including articulation, curriculum development and onboarding, recruiting, compliance, DOL registration, and much more.

Apprenticeships certainly are not a new concept, they’ve been around a long time. It is a system that works and provides our young adults with options for a high-paying career that eliminates the need to potentially take on a large amount of debt for a traditional bachelor’s degree. Much like our German counterparts, many of these apprentices may choose to continue in their education with advanced certifications or even a bachelor’s, however the difference is they can do it while working in a field they’ve chosen, earning a good salary, and hopefully taking advantage of employer sponsored education incentives.

The UMA Foundation is committed to continuing to help industry partners to implement the new Machining Apprenticeship that we are currently piloting. However, this is only the beginning. By targeting careers and industries that are in high demand like automation and composites we will continue to build apprenticeships that will ensure young talent is matched with strong partners and build success for all.