Overview: Unlocking the potential of migrants through vocational education and training in Germany

This chapter gives an overview of the study, and highlights how the recent inflow of migrants can represent both challenges and opportunities for Germany. The chapter further outlines the situation of the apprenticeship market in Germany, discussing supply and demand issues, regional and occupational mismatches and future labour market needs for vocational education and training (VET) occupations. It then provides a short overview of the asylum system in Germany and describes the educational background and aspirations of both recently arrived asylum seekers and refugees, as well as natives with immigrant parents, and their entry into the VET system. Further, the chapter sums up key strengths and challenges that Germany is facing in using VET to integrate migrants, and concludes with listing the policy pointers that are identified in the report.