An organized anarchy? Understanding the role of German cooperation in the construction and export of the dual training model

• In Event: Building back or building forward better? Redefining TVET in times of crises: international agendas, policy assumptions and policies in action (Part1)

Proposal

The role of German cooperation as a key force behind the worldwide dissemination of dual apprenticeships is well-established. Bilateral donors from German-speaking countries have been longstanding supporters of VET as a key area in cooperation efforts, and have generally favoured policies aligned to the dual model of apprenticeships that is in place in the donor countries. German cooperation, in particular, has openly embraced the transfer of different forms of dual training. In fact, German efforts in this area having recently gone through a renaissance. This resurgence is the result of a renewed international interest in the success of the German dual model, perceived as an effective remedy against youth employment challenges, and in growing demand on the part of developing countries. However, such resurgence is also connected to the interests of German industries operating abroad, who perceive the export of the German model as an opportunity to create a skilled labour force aligned to their own needs, thus maximizing the profitability of their investments.

These developments suggest that the efforts of German cooperation in the area of VET are not driven by a single rationale, but rather obey a complex and evolving interplay of motivations. Indeed, the German cooperation landscape is characterized by its multi-layered and fragmented nature. The heterogeneity of actors populating the German polity calls for a more fine-grained understanding of how the rationalities behind the transfer of dual training differ across the German arena.

In the light of these considerations, our paper investigates the heterogeneity of drivers behind German cooperation efforts in the promotion and export of the dual training model. More specifically, the paper aims at understanding the motivations and logics of action of the main German cooperation actors in VET and at examining the coordination challenges faced by this diversity of actors. To this end, the paper relies on a qualitative research strategy based on documental analysis and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (including German actors operating at a federal and regional level, non-German bilateral agencies and representatives from international organizations).

The paper finds that German efforts in the international promotion of dual training are driven by at least three analytically distinct motivations. A first group of economic agents connected to German business associations and chamber of commerce appears to be largely driven by economic and commercial motivations, and address TVET as a means to support German industries established abroad by building a skilled labour force in these countries. A second group steered by the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is motivated by humanitarian concerns and instrumentalize dual training as a development tool. Finally, the Ministry of Education and Research frames the promotion of dual training as part of a broader political mandate concerned with strengthening the attractiveness and reputation of the German training model. Our paper also finds that this diversity of motivations poses important coordination challenges, recently leading to the creation of a number of cooperation mechanisms oriented at securing a minimum level of operational and rhetorical alignment.

Author

• Clara Fontdevila, Universitat Autònoma De Barcelona