Trainers in apprenticeship companies will have a VET qualification in the field for which he/she trains, and this may be supplemented by a certificate as in-company trainer, which is compulsory in some apprenticeship systems. The VET teacher at schools will have different qualifications depending upon the subjects they teach. If they teach theoretical subjects they will minimum have a qualification at a bachelor level supplemented by pedagogical training. Teachers that teach more practice oriented topics will typically have a vocational qualification supplemented by pedagogical training. Teachers at VET schools will typically also have some labour market experience prior to teaching.
Teachers and trainers play a crucial role in apprenticeship training. In-company trainers are usually regular employees who receive special training and pass a qualification exam to be allowed to train apprentices. This training is regulated more formally: they have to attend a university college of education and graduate with a bachelor or master degree.
There are different requirements for teachers’ and trainers’ skilled and pedagogical qualifications in terms of the responsibility for teaching VET students to become skilled workers.
In order to train, a company has to employ at least one qualified in-company trainer. At school vocational teachers give the vocational subjects and teachers for vocational practice offer practical vocational training.
VET teachers are recruited either as public agents or as state employees and do have to satisfy to certain qualification requirements. Teacher candidates for the public agent career have to follow a three year induction phase. Companies offering apprenticeship training do have to be in possession of a training authorisation which is also linked to specific qualification requirements. Tutors in companies in charge of the training of apprentices do have to participate in a mandatory train the trainer course of a minimum of three days.
Apprentices receive instructions from three categories of VET professionals: vocational school teachers, apprenticeship trainers and branch course instructors. The requirements for those professions are regulated on national level and they are trained in federally recognised institutions.
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