4 - Suitable for global consumption: turning German dual training into a portable policy idea

Summary

Introduction

Over the last decade, dual training (DT) has progressively consolidated its status as a global or travelling policy idea. Born in German- speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), the DT model combines a strong component of school- based education with highly regulated work- based training. This specific approach to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) appears to generate interest among a growing number of countries, which perceive it as an effective remedy against youth employment challenges and poor economic competitiveness (Euler, 2015). Gonon describes DT as an “export hit” (2014, p 242), noting that it is in growing demand not only on the part of Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) countries, but also within the developing world.

The idiosyncrasy of the German dual system and the challenges encountered by its international transfer have sparked considerable debate within practitioner and academic circles alike. Comparative literature has extensively discussed the institutional foundations of the model as originated in German countries, raising attention on the difficulty of adapting such policy to other settings (for example, Valiente and Scandurra, 2017; Gonon, 2014; Pilz, 2017; Li and Pilz, 2023). Evaluation reports commissioned by government and cooperation agencies have similarly emphasized the challenges posed by the implementation of such policies in contexts with economic and education structures that differ sharply from those of Germanic countries (for example, Maurer et al, 2012; Stockman and Silvestrini, 2012).

However, much less has been said about the very origins of DT as a global policy – that is, a portable or mobile policy, ready to be exported to contexts other than the Germanic countries of origin. While there is growing understanding on why recipient countries might be interested in DT, there is less clarity on how this policy idea acquired global currency – that is, how it was put into circulation and articulated theoretically.

To be sure, there is some consensus on the fact that the spread of DT owes much to the cooperation and internationalization efforts made by German-speaking countries, and by Germany in particular. Germanic donors have been longstanding supporters of TVET as a key area in cooperation efforts, and Germany was the top Development Assistance Committee bilateral donor in the area of vocational training during the 2016–2019 period in terms of ODA disbursements (OECD, 2021).