ABSTRACT
The system of vocational education and training in the Federal Republic is one which has attracted a great deal of attention from British observers, and, as a consequence, has been frequently examined by visitors—including politicians, industrialists, civil servants and educationalists—and just as frequently reported on. The Federal Republic of Germany is, of course, a creation of the decade after the Second World War. Moreover, despite trenchant criticisms from time to time from the partners in the enterprise, notably the employers' organisations and the trade unions, it has largely retained their commitment to it. In the Federal Republic, the vocational education and training of youngsters to produce skilled workers takes place once they have completed their general education at school. Equally important is the need for West Germany to make more provision for the retraining and further training of young people aged between 20 and 25 years, a group which has been disproportionately affected by unemployment.
