People with Disabilities in Germany’s Dual Vocational Training System

In many companies inclusion in vocational training is today already a reality. In the last five years almost one quarter of all firms with an apprenticeship programme have employed trainees with a disability. Some 12 per cent currently employ disabled trainees, most of whom are teenagers with a learning disability. The majority of companies train disabled teenagers for professions requiring a three or three-and-a-half-year training, a quarter for professions with two-year courses as well. Only approximately a tenth offer special, less theoretical apprenticeships leading to a recognised vocational qualification with a practical emphasis. Experience with the target group is important: companies which already have disabled employees are more than 40 percentage points more likely to train teenagers with a disability than those which do not. However, even 80 per cent of companies already training the disabled see the greatest obstacle to a greater involvement in a lack of applications from this target group. In addition, three quarters of these firms would like more assistance, for example, long-term support from special education teachers and official contact partners to answer their questions around vocational training for the disabled.