**6. Conclusion**

Vocational and Educational Training in German-speaking countries is a topic concerning researchers and decision-makers for decades. It has caused a lot of criticism and ideas for reforms through the years.

Starting from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, from inns, and apprentices learning for their vocations there, through the centuries of fighting for organized chambers and reforms, all the way up to the first apprenticeship laws, there has been a long way of establishing VET systems in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

These systems are based upon federal laws and the laws of the specific lands and parts of the country, also involving experts in education and companies and chambers. Countries are investing resources into VET systems and supporting them through all kinds of different ways, such as subsiding the education, investing in schools and teachers and creating different programs in order to help the apprentices, companies, and schools.

Apprenticeship trainings in these countries last from 2 to 4 years, with an option of attending another year of education, in order to get the access to the higher vocational education or higher education in general. All trainings are completed with a final exam.

Although not perfect, these systems are keeping the economy of these three countries alive for centuries, assuring low rates of unemployment among young people and providing them with the necessary knowledge for starting a career. Besides that, there are many other ways of helping apprentices, companies, and schools in organizing the best apprenticeship trainings possible, which shows the level of importance of VET in these countries.

Of course, they are not flawless, in fact, they should be more flexible and agile, accepting changes in the society and adjusting themselves to the needs of a modern society.

Considering how important VET in these societies is and the number of investments in it, it would only be fair of the system to adjust itself to the society and the people in it, as well as to the times and the needs that are changing.
