Attracting, training and providing long-term development to skilled workers and talent is essential for Germany’s position as a centre for technological innovation. Only in this way can research be conducted at the highest level, and innovative solutions be developed and then transferred into practical application – to boost economic competitiveness, promote a prosperous society, and address current and future challenges. The Federal Government also highlights the role of skilled labour in the High-Tech Agenda Germany.
The Federal Government is addressing these education policy challenges and is continuously working to further develop, as needed, the structures, content and formats of initial and continuing vocational training, as well as education funding instruments, such as the Federal Training Assistance Act and gifted education funding. It is also seeking to support early-career researchers, and to strengthen equal opportunities, equality and diversity in this context.
At the same time, digitalisation, AI and societal change are transforming the world of work. The New Quality of Work Initiative (INQA) and the regional competence centres for labour research help companies and employees to implement new forms of work and make jobs more resilient and inclusive. This is intended to ensure that the transformation is socially responsible and forward-looking.
Future skills are vital for active participation in shaping necessary transformation processes. This is particularly true of the challenges arising from digital working environments, with their changed requirements in terms of professional competencies, abilities and skills, and from changing environmental conditions and from demographic change.
Digital technologies open up new ways of learning that are individual, flexible and location-independent. That said, technology alone is not enough for education to reach its full potential. A combination of high-quality teaching and digital literacy on the part of teachers is also needed. Vocational education and training, in particular, plays a key role in reaching people of all age groups through skills development pathways that are practical and offer transfer opportunities.
Higher education institutions also play an important role in the dissemination and application of scientific findings and in educating scientists. The Federation and Länder are providing permanent support for high-quality and competitive teaching at German higher education institutions with the agreement on the Future Contract for Strengthening Studying and Teaching in Higher Education and the agreement on Innovation in Higher Education Teaching.
That said, the demand for skilled workers cannot be met from within Germany alone. The Federal Government is therefore also seeking to recruit international talent and stepping up global cooperation in education. Immigration, international cooperation and evidence-based education policy measures must go hand in hand if a framework is to be created to enable skilled workers to conduct research at the highest level, develop innovative solutions and actively shape the transfer between science and practice.
More detailed information can be found in Chapter 10 of the Federal Report (in German).