Data from Skills2Capabilities WP3 Interviews in Germany

1 Co-funded by the European Union Table of Contents Interview Summary: Developments in industrial metalworking and electrical professions ........................................................................ 2 Interview Summary: Developments in training regulations in the metalworking sector ......................................................................... 4 Daniel Neff (BIBB) Philipp Grollmann (TU Dortmund) 2 Co-funded by the European Union Interview Summary: Developments in industrial metalworking and electrical professions Identifier: I05 Interview Type: Expert interview (anonymized) Date of Interview: 30/09/2025 Location: Online via Zoom Interviewee Role/Position: Professional (Exact role anonymized for data protection) Conducted by: Philipp Grollmann and Daniel Neff Language: German (interview); English (summary) Summary This interview deals with developments in industrial metalworking and electrical professions, particularly industrial mechanics, as well as the various phases of reform. It is a simultaneous interplay between IT, metalworking, and electrical professions. The field is strongly influenced by the social partners. On the employer side, it is organized by Gesamtmetall, the umbrella organization for the metal and electrical industry, and the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (Zentralverband Eletrotechnikund Elektro-Industrie; ZVEI). On the employee side, it is organized by IG Metall, Germany's largest industrial union. Compared to other industries, this industry is highly organized. In 1987, many old metalworking professions were merged into larger units, partly due to increasing automation and CNC technology. This led to an increase in the efficiency of the training system. In 2003/2004, learning fields were finally introduced at vocational schools. This introduction brought with it a number of difficulties. In addition, the intermediate examinations were to be upgraded. Then the topic of Industry 4.0, the standard job description position on digitization, data protection, and information security became more relevant, as did additional qualifications. On the trade union side, the increasing flexibility has been viewed critically by some. Especially, the increasing modularization is viewed critically, as there are fears that it will lead to a growing deviation from the principle of uniformity in the profession. The agile process is also causing uncertainty. The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) plays a role in this reform process and is constructively involved. In addition, a lack of practical relevance is criticized in business practice. 3 Co-funded by the European Union The developments are also characterized by a tension between the formally regulated quality management requirements for the classification procedures and the simultaneous scope for design. In some cases, reorganization processes are carried out with only a few selected actors, without the systematic involvement of the BIBB. However, its research concept has been available for years. The agile process means that a large part of what happens in the context of a classification procedure is anticipated. In some cases, the operational perspective is then missing. The significance of the so-called benchmarks (Eckwerte) remains unclear. In terms of content, this concerns, among other things, questions about single occupations or occupational families, the breadth and depth of training occupations, and differentiation options, which often become contentious again later in the process due to cross-state schooling. In IT, for example, it is clear that schooling can also be a hindrance in terms of excessive differentiation, leading to differences between SMEs and industry. The codified additional qualifications introduced in 2018 are used more as a benchmark. Nationwide, these have only been implemented more than 100 times. Another problem concerns the examinations and responsibilities of the chambers. Examples from the IT sector reveal a dissonance between the Examination Task and Teaching Material Development Unit (PAL) and professional competence. The situation is complicated, as a wide variety of organizations are involved in developing the exams. The situation is particularly complex in the field of IT professions, as 15 federal states use identical exams, but Baden-Württemberg uses a different one. Responsibility for this is unclear. There is also uncertainty regarding authorizations in the electrical engineering sector. The relevant procedures and studies often take a long time, partly due to the dependence on individuals in the associations. 4 Co-funded by the European Union Interview Summary: Developments in training regulations in the metalworking sector Identifier: I06 Interview Type: Expert interview (anonymized) Date of Interview: 09/10/2025 Location: Online via Zoom Interviewee Role/Position: Professional (Exact role anonymized for data protection) Conducted by: Philipp Grollmann and Daniel Neff Language: German (interview); English (summary) Summary This interview focuses on the development of training regulations over the last 20 to 30 years, in terms of content, participants, and processes. The reform of the 1980s, which came into force in 1987, aimed to make the vocational training system more flexible. A central idea was to combine a large number of small occupations, of which there are over 20 in the metalworking sector, into respective occupational fields. This led to the introduction of the principle of a multi-stage occupation, which consists of basic training in the first years of training, differentiation and specialization in the various fields, and a stronger focus on practical skills. The process, which began in 1996, evaluated the rigid structures of the regulations from the 1980s. The reform led to significant structural changes. Specifically, a 21-month joint core qualification in the metalworking sector was established. In addition, content separation was reduced and differentiation was made based on operational areas of application. This enabled companies to define the subject area and work with the approach area from the outset. These structures also served the political goal of attracting more companies to participate in training. In addition, a stronger focus on work and business processes was implemented, which led to a more open formulation of training content. This shifted part of the didactic work to the trainers in the companies. In addition, a time frame model was introduced instead of time benchmarks in order to create a parallel to the learning situations in school. This model was intended to provide logical and temporal clarification. 5 Co-funded by the European Union However, due to legal circumstances, thematic headings for the time frame were lost, which hindered synchronization between companies and schools. The extended final examination was finally implemented in 2007 after a trial regulation. The 2018 amendment was heavily influenced by political pressure to address digitalization. Technological developments, particularly automation, had been in demand for some time, but their implementation in practice was questionable. Finally, the integrative job profile position “Digitization of Work and Information Security” was created. Although the integrative position could have made the additional qualifications superfluous from a technical point of view, it was introduced to send a political signal. However, the additional qualifications, such as system integration or process integration, were only used minimally after its introduction. For this reason, criticism was voiced that necessary content upgrades should not be restored through a thorough evaluation of occupational structures, but through additional qualifications. The 2018 reform introduced new examination formats to ensure the comparability of company assignments, resulting in a high degree of formalization. There is also overlap between the professions themselves. Industrial mechanics face competition from mechatronics engineers. There is a high demand for electrical engineering skills in the metalworking sector, which often has to be met by additional qualifications or in-house certificates, as otherwise an electronics technician would be required. In the case of plant mechanics and construction mechanics, trainees must learn welding techniques, but the necessary certification is not part of the vocational qualification and must be obtained separately. The “agile procedure” („Agiles Verfahren“) was an initiative launched in 2015 by social partners such as Gesamtmetall and IG Metall, which aimed to accelerate the amendment process by presenting finished draft regulations through rapid workshops. The amendment was to be implemented quickly, possibly via a ministerial ordinance without the full amendment procedure. However, legal concerns, particularly regarding possible duplications in the new integrated job profile, required the implementation of an original, normal procedure. The political decision to act quickly meant that the KMK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs; Kultusmininsterkonferenz) was bypassed in the run-up to the amendment, which led to resistance and a delay in school coordination. There is currently a tendency for evidence-based foundations and preliminary investigations to become less common in the amendment process. Instead, the proposed models are often based on the arbitrariness of individual interest groups. A scientific structure that analyses occupational cases and work processes is currently more difficult to implement. Given the high number of apprenticeships and the need to adapt all occupations when core qualifications change, any reorganization requires careful and time-consuming processing. The flexibility of the system is ensured by incorporating the core qualifications into all existing metalworking occupations, which enables cross-occupational changes and facilitates joint training.