Seminar on German dual system of vocational education and training in Pyongyang
The new terminal has finally been completed. Instead of via an open gangway people now leave the plane through a boarding bridge. Instead of an old-style arrival hall one enters an excellent example of modern airport architecture. You don’t feel like traveling back in time anymore when landing in Pyongyang.
In mid-August the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation for Freedom (FNF) went to North Korea in order to explain Germany's renowned dual system of vocational education and training. For two days our speakers Ms. Barbara Dorn, Director Education & Vocational Training of the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), and Mr. Hans Jürgen Metternich, head of Vocational Training North at Evonik, gave seminars at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang. About 50 officials from the Education Commission (= Ministry of Education) and various professional colleges attended the presentations which for the first time were organized in cooperation with the Robert Bosch Foundation.
The dual system certainly has been one of the most successful chapters in Germany’s economic and social history. Both speakers acknowledged that the German model cannot be transferred one to one to other countries but also emphasized its chances and advantages. Everyone benefits from a solid vocational education and training: employees as well as employers, the economy and society in general.
Ms. Dorn and Mr. Metternich presented topics such as teacher training, free choice of profession, the role of employers' associations and trade unions, and the consequences of the demographic change for Germany, e.g. the shortage of skilled workers and the increasing importance of immigration. One of the differences that became apparent was the training of firefighters in companies. While a North Korean participant thought six months were enough, in Germany firefighters are trained for three years, including lessons in chemistry and first aid, and acquiring a driver's license for heavy vehicles.
Obviously, there are also political and structural differences between both countries. In North Korea, vocational education starts in tenth grade in high school. After graduating from school most men are required to perform military service. Only 10 percent of the young people have the opportunity to directly attend a university or a professional college, where they receive vocational training. Many more are being sent there later on by their companies or the army. However, the decisions about their future are not in hands of the individuals.
The seminar was followed by a meeting with representatives of the Education Commission and a visit to the Grand People's Study House in Pyongyang. During the conversation with the Education Commission, the German speakers addressed issues like emancipation at the workplace and the role of fathers in their children's education.
