**1. Introduction**

Right now, there is an ongoing trend in many countries in Europe that brings vocational and educational training (further: VET) into the spotlight. More and more countries are realizing that a successfully implemented VET can be a very stable pillar of the economy of a country, which is also helpful in lowering unemployment rates in young population. Exactly for this reason, many countries are looking for examples of good practices when it comes to VET, since many of them have never tried implementing such a system and blindly trying it out would cost them a lot of money and time, which might end up being wasted. Luckily, German-speaking countries have been established for a very long time as an example of a successful VET system that has been keeping the countries stable since the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century.

Germany, Switzerland, and Austria are the three European countries that are most famous for the success and stability of their vocational training systems. Even though the world has changed since the first historical appearance of VET in Germanspeaking countries and university enrollment rates have significantly grown in these countries, VET keeps being one of the most common ways of attaining a vocation and enrolling into the market. Many other European countries are looking up to the VET

systems of these countries and are trying to either implement the whole system or some elements of it in their educational systems [1].

In fact, there is even an ongoing project, called "The apprenticeship toolbox" that has been providing information to the countries that are interested into implementing the whole VET systems or their elements into their educational systems. This project has been providing information to countries such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, Slovakia, and Latvia, helping the decision-makers in these countries to successfully implement key features, materials, and programs into the social and economic systems of their countries.

One of the main characteristics of VET in German-speaking countries is the so-called "dual system." The idea behind this system is to provide the people who are participating in VET the possibility to learn simultaneously: theoretical knowledge is provided at vocational schools, and practical knowledge is provided directly through work in a company of a certain field. Vocational schools are usually public schools, and companies that take part in VET can vary from small or medium-sized, up to large-sized, even international companies [2].

Most common way of implementing this idea is providing students with one to two school days in a week, and three to four days in a company. However, it can also be implemented in such a way, that students spend every day of every other week in the school, and every day of every other week in a company. It is important to highlight, that governments in these three countries set aside a certain amount of money every year for funding the work of vocational schools, which provides a stable and ongoing resource for successful implementation of VET [3].

In German-speaking countries, skills are being certified and standardized, which brings stability and easier control over possible problems, especially when it comes to working in private sector. Through certification, clear expectations are being determined, so it is clear what is expected from both companies and students. Standardization, however, provides clear regulations of trainings, tests, and certificates that are valid in all parts of the country. That provides a low level of manipulation and leads to a fairer training system. This way, the responsibility for successful implementation of VET system is being shared between companies, governments, and trade unions, which provides broader control level over every part of the system.

Many different projects have also been developed, that are being financed from different sources and government offices, such as Employment Agency or Job Center, with a purpose of providing additional help to people in vocational training when it comes to learning needs, additional support, integration for immigrants or even additional money.

During discussions about vocational trainings in Europe, one can often hear many arguments that either strongly support or strongly deny the system of vocational training in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. In fact, the German VET system has not once been criticized by many international representatives and organs, such as European Union and OECD. How come, then, that VET systems in these countries are still successfully functioning, and even in such a way that many other countries are trying to implement them or their elements? In this chapter, we will try to review the systems of VET in German-speaking countries and give an answer to this question through reviewing the possibilities and limits of vocational training systems implemented in these countries. We will also show the historical development of vocational training in all of these three countries, as well as their characteristics, giving a brief description of social events that have influenced the idea of VTE systems, making them the way they are now [4].
