External or Industry courses

External or Industry courses for apprentices serve - in addition to education in the company and vocational school - to teach and acquire basic practical skills. According to the Vocational Training Act Art. 31, these courses can be conducted by the respective professional association. Participation is compulsory for apprentices and is an integral part of vocational education and training.

Program and organization

External or Industry courses relieve the burden on those responsible for vocational training in vocational education. Whether a corresponding course is required is assessed by the Organization of the World of Work (Organisation der Arbeitswelt - OdA) and is specified in the respective education ordinance. The learning content to be taught is listed in the education plan. This program can be obtained from the relevant professional association. The duration of the courses varies greatly (from a few days to several weeks).

Attendance at the courses is compulsory and counts as working time. The apprentice must therefore also be paid the apprenticeship wage during the course attendance. The apprentice must not incur any costs as a result of attending the external or industry courses. Course fees and any ancillary costs may not be passed on to the apprentice or his or her legal representative.

Financing

Providers of training in vocational practice (host companies) shall bear the remaining costs of an external or industry course or a comparable third learning location (e.g. training workshop) after deduction of any government contribution.

Exemption

The Office for Vocational Education and Career Counseling (ABB) may exempt learners from attending external or industry courses at the request of the provider of training in vocational practice (host company) if the training content is taught in a company training center or in a training workshop.

Request

As a rule, the summoning for the external or industry courses takes place on the basis of the student list of the respective vocational college; an early registration of the learners by the provider of the education in vocational practice (host company) in the vocational college is also essential for this reason.