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This chapter is the introduction to the book, describing it as a unique look at the effectiveness and distributive ramifications of the institutions of German skill provision as they functioned in the 1990s and as they served as a template for reform in other industrialised countries. It is suggested that the merits of this model and its viability in the face of technological and organisational change are in doubt. As well, the introduction asks if the German system of skill provision is still an effective model for industrialised countries. It offers a sketch of the dual system, looks at skill requirements in the global economy and describes problems in Germany such as slow growth, high costs and institutional rigidity. Finally, it offers for consideration some unanswered questions.

This chapter deals mainly with the long-term demographic challenges the greying of the population and the ageing of the workforce pose for German competitiveness and assesses to what extent the existing training institutions are capable of meeting the challenges of maintaining Germany's high-skill/high wage economy without significantly widening inequality. The chapter gives a brief overview of demographic trends on Germany, then focuses on the problems of skill creation and the role of institutions. Finally, policy recommendations are offered.

This chapter begins by describing how occupational skill provision is part of an intricate educational system that incorporates cultural, economic and social policy. The author suggests that this led to the formation of two coexisting but different types of vocational education and training in Germany: the vocational and educational dual system (VED) in which male youths predominate, and the school-based vocational education system (SVE) in which female youths predominate. The chapter considers the effects of this double structure on the shaping of the life courses of women and the function of the gendered structuring of tracking for the employment system.

This chapter assesses the ongoing reforms of the vocational education and training (VET) systems in France and in eastern Germany. The author acknowledges the different nature of the challenges the two countries face but suggests there is a common goal, that of establishing a system of in-firm training and a common problem, that of convincing private companies in a market environment to make a substantial investmentin the development of skilled labour. Interviews with personnel and training managers from companies in France and eastern Germany are used in the analysis, allowing the author to compare training practices in both cases with the benchmark they both seek to emulate: western German apprenticeship training.

In the past few years growing concern has been expressed about the viability of the German training model in the present circumstances of globalisation and new forms of work organisation. This chapter begins by discussing the balance between the costs and benefits of training. The author suggests that while the German training system might be coping with the new forms of work organisation two further problems have affected the sustainability of the system: a severe recession and unification. The balance between the supply and demand for training places is the second major issue dealt with in this chapter. The third topic is the transfer of the West German training system to eastern Germany and the effects of the dismal economic system on the supply of apprenticeships. Although there is considerable subsidy of the eastern German economy, a basis for self-sustaining growth has not so far been established. It is suggested that these issues show the need for training reform and this chapter concludes with a set of measures to modernise the system.