Working and studying: dual studies are booming. The number of students has more than quintupled since 2004 to around 122,0000 people.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin Dual studies are booming. The number of students has more than quintupled since 2004 to around 122,0000 people. Nevertheless, it was recently only 4.6 percent of first-semester students who opted for the practical variant, which is also rewarded with an average of a good 1000 euros a month.
A good third is accounted for by economics and law, while engineering sciences, which account for 23 percent, and health sciences (15 percent) are also in high demand.
This is shown by a study by the Center for Higher Education Development CHE and the Research Institute for Business Education (f-bb) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education. It is the most extensive study to date, for which 3,500 students, 1,700 companies and 700 university managers were surveyed.
Companies value the practical relevance and training opportunities
The advantages for the companies are obvious: three quarters of the companies appreciate the practical relevance, two thirds the early employee loyalty and the opportunity to be able to train students before they graduate, according to the survey. In addition, the dropout rates are significantly lower than in conventional studies.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Employers, DIHK and skilled trades are therefore unanimously pushing for further expansion. The president of the family business, Reinhold von Eben-Worlée, is also convinced: “There’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
>> Also read here: Cabinet launches student loan increase
The strongholds show how many it could be: In Saarland, for example, one in three studies dual studies, in Baden-Württemberg one in nine. In most other countries, on the other hand, it is not even three percent – including Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia.
The authors of the study write that one hurdle for a nationwide triumph of practice-oriented studies is above all the insufficient coordination between universities and companies. In addition, there is a lack of quality control, especially of in-company training – the tightening of which some companies and employers’ associations vehemently rejected. “Universities and companies could do even more together, especially when it comes to quality assurance in the practical phases,” warns Sigrun Nickel, Head of University Research at the CHE. The Stifterverband der Wirtschaft had already warned of the great need for reform years ago.
Study: In no other field of study is there more regulatory chaos
According to the study, “no other field of study has such a complex regulatory structure”. In total, there are 57 partially outdated laws and ordinances in the federal states and, in parallel, completely unregulated areas.
In addition, the authors criticize the variety of contracts between students and companies – some have none at all. This leads to great uncertainty, because “many students cannot assess whether the respective contractual relationship is appropriate and of sufficient quality”. CHE and f-bb therefore urgently recommend the introduction of model contracts that are as uniform as possible nationwide.
>> Also read here: “Need a flexible education time” – Bertelsmann Foundation calls for reform of further education
The DIHK is also urging “consistently exploiting the potential for improvement”. Above all, what is needed is “a comprehensive combination of theory and practice and structured cooperation between the university and the company,” said Deputy General Manager Achim Dercks to the Handelsblatt. It is correct when the authors of the study call for written agreements between universities and companies, which should also be checked regularly. So far, “only a third of the small and medium-sized companies experience regular coordination of the university curriculum with the company’s learning material”. In order to upgrade the company as a place of learning, the services provided there should also be “consistently evaluated with ECTS points”.
Better dovetailing of theory and practice would also increase the confidence of companies “that dual graduates have the relevant skills,” says Dercks, promoting more cooperation. Because the practical phases – unlike for example dual vocational training – are not regulated nationwide, he calls for “a reliable alternative orientation framework, ideally through nationwide quality criteria”. The trades are also pushing for uniform rules, the current confusion is “often confusing and difficult to understand, especially for small and micro-enterprises at state level”.
Employers: Do not restrict the freedom of companies
A remedy is in sight: After the Bundestag passed a resolution to this effect, the Ministers of Education are currently working with the Federal Institute for Vocational Training (BIBB) on recommendations for dual studies.
However, there is resistance from employers: According to the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), politicians must “maintain the existing freedom of design in the future”. It should not “impair the successful cooperation between universities and companies with additional regulation”.
More: Trainees are now also in short supply – Corona has pushed dual training to a record low.