Vocational (or company-based) training in the dual system

The practical training takes place three to four days a week in a company under the supervision of a trainer. Trainees attend vocational school for one to two days a week. This is where they meet other trainees from the same or similar industries and learn about the theoretical content of the occupation. On average, vocational training in the dual system takes three years.

Extra-company training

In this case, unlike vocational training in the dual system, the training does not take place based in a single company but at a so-called training provider. This means that you complete practical exercises in a type of college. This may provide an alternative form of training if you cannot find a training company.

School-based training

There are also some school-based forms of training in the technical, social and foreign language sectors, as well as in healthcare.

Examples include:
a) technical sector: medical laboratory assistant
b) social sector: nursery teacher
c) foreign language sector: foreign language correspondent
d) health sector: geriatric nurse
In these cases the content is delivered solely in vocational schools or in vocational technical schools. A company-based placement is normally completed during the training. The regulations relating to school-based training may differ from federal state to federal state.