Training or studying?

It is important to note that anyone who has completed vocational training can use it to compensate for a missing or low school leaving certificate. A school leaving certificate is often a prerequisite for a successful transition to training or study, but it does not replace vocational training. In other words, someone who has a good school leaving certificate but has not completed vocational training or university studies may be in a worse position than someone who successfully completes vocational training after a "poor" school leaving certificate. This is often lost in the public discussion. For many companies the school report is only one criterion among several and with a good application letter you can compensate for a not so good report (see here: Application letter). (Cover letter).

Training or studies are always just the first step into professional life. Afterwards, many doors are open to you - and you can also switch to other professions or industries.

There are very different paths and which path can be taken also depends on the school leaving certificate:

• If your child has the Abitur, then three paths are open to him or her: studying at a university or a so-called dual course of study, in which training in a company is combined with studying at a university. However, there are also many dual apprenticeships which are not combined with a course of study but are accompanied by attendance at vocational school. Furthermore, there are school-based apprenticeships, e.g. in the health or education sector.

• If your child has a Realschule or Mittlere Schulabschluss (intermediate school leaving certificate), then, in addition to dual training or school-based vocational training, there are also various routes to the (specialist) Abitur.

• If your child has a lower secondary school leaving certificate or the so-called Berufsbildungsreife (vocational training entrance qualification), then above all a dual training, but in some cases also a school-based vocational training can be considered. However, it may also make sense to acquire a higher school leaving certificate, e.g. a Realschule or Mittlerer Schulabschluss. Then the chances of transition to training are usually better.

• If your child does not have a secondary school leaving certificate, e.g. because he or she has dropped out of school, then the path to dual training is more difficult, but by no means impossible. It is important to know that the company alone decides whether your child gets a training place or not. A good letter of application can possibly compensate for a poor or missing school leaving certificate. If your child does not immediately find a training place, then there are various ways in which the secondary school leaving certificate can be made up for. With a secondary school leaving certificate, the chances of finding a training place increase considerably.

As you can see, there is a wide range of options so to give you an idea of which way is right for you, we have put together some links for you.

Published on 24.04.2021