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Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

As pointed out in chapter 6.10 the post-secondary non-tertiary education also opens access for “non-traditional learners” as work experienced people with completed vocational training and motivation for continuing education and training due to  different driving forces (e. g. personal development, career and income aspirations, advancement offers, affinity to lifelong learning). In this context higher VET institutions, schools for social professions etc. stand for the opportunity for working people to acquire relevant subject-specific qualifications in the form of evening classes alongside their work. Most secondary VET schools and colleges have no age limit, but there are of course special courses for adults and professionals.

Educational programmes for working people are also offered at technical, industrial and arts and crafts schools & colleges and educational institutions for elementary pedagogy (BAfEP) or social pedagogy (BASOP) in the form of courses and colleges, which, however, differ from schools for working people.

Vocational colleges and advanced training courses (=add on courses) (Aufbaulehrgänge) for working persons (6-8 semesters, depending on previous education) are special forms of higher VET colleges (BHS), providing a higher technical and general education and concluding with a maturity and diploma examination. The aim is to qualify students for higher professions in the fields of technology, business, administration and tourism and to qualify them for university studies. 

Due to this broad spectrum of professional target fields and programmes, the curriculum of the seven-semester advanced training course (=add on course) (Aufbaulehrgang) for professionals / working persons at the vocational college for construction engineering may serve as first example: 

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Table: Curriculum Advanced training course (=add on course) (Aufbaulehrgang) for professionals / working persons at the VET college for construction engineering by tuition hours per subjects and week, total weekly tuition hours 

Source: Federal Law Gazette II - No. 368/2022, p. 5f. Download.

As a second example the curricula of a high-level post-secondary VET course (Kolleg) at the College of business administration digital business (DigBiz Handelsakademie) - is explicated representing as training programme available for graduates (2 years in day setting) and adult working professionals (3 years in evening setting) available in a variety of specialist areas and concluding with the diploma examination. It corresponds to Colleges for Higher Vocational Education (BHS) or Colleges for Early Childhood Pedagogy and Colleges for Social Pedagogy and concludes with a diploma examination. The graduates attain the professional qualifications of the corresponding BHS. It is also very attractive choice for AHS graduates as for them representing a subject-specific initial vocational training. 

Training programmes are available in: Structural engineering, chemistry and chemical engineering, electronics and technical computer science, electrical engineering, building services, computer science and IT, information technology, interior design and wood technology, art and design, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, media technology and media management, fashion/textiles, optometry, social work, industrial engineering, business computer science/ digital business, tourism, environment, economic professions, Post-secondary VET courses at commercial academies, each with a training focus (e. g. Entrepreneurship and Management, Financial and Risk Management, International Economy, Communications Management and Marketing). 

The college is the type of school that is aimed at people who have passed the school-leaving examination, the Berufsreifeprüfung or the university entrance qualification examination and who wish to qualify for a career in the commercial sector in particular. 

As second example the curriculum of the vocational college at the College of Business Administration for Digital Business (DigBiz HAK) is presentend below:.

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Table: curriculum of the vocational college for working persons at the College of Business Administration for Digital Business (DigbizHAK) by tuition hours per subjects and week and total number of weekly tuition hours 

Source: Federal Law Gazette II - Issued on 10 September 2020 - No. 393. Download. 

In intensive lessons, approx. 25 - 30 hours per week, students receive a solid commercial education with the core areas of (applied) mathematics, economics, corporate accounting, business administration, entrepreneurship and management, applied computer science, project management and business informatics, applied programming and software development, business law and e-business information, office management as well as business English. 

The course content is offered in a modular system: There is no longer any repetition of an entire semester, progress is measured by the modules (learning units of individual subjects) completed successfully. This provides a significant degree of flexibility, as it allows students to largely determine their own pace of learning.

Teaching methods and materials

According to the curriculum of the college of business administration - Digital Business (DigBiz HAK) - the development of personal and social skills of students/learners should be supported by adequate teaching methods and materials by the following “recommendations”:

• A broad spectrum of teaching methods between instruction and construction should be used. Particular emphasis should also be put on the development of methodological skills.
• The teaching methods should be chosen in a way to stimulate the interest of students/learners.
• Practice-orientated tasks as well as problem- and activity-based lessons and methods (e. g. working on projects, case studies and simulations) should be used.
• Learning arrangements should support students to develop and show their individual strengths, further develop their self-assessment skills and learn from their mistakes.
• The opportunities for individual support should be fully utilised.
• Thematic focal points can be defined in coordination with business organisations, science and extracurricular educational institutions. Suitable types of school events and the involvement of field experts contribute to this agenda to provide students with insights into the interrelationships of economic processes.
• Teaching of integrated foreign language learning (Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
• Business training and training firm: The integrated didactic concept of the training firm promotes the development of technical, methodological, social and personal skills. The training firm is the place where competent and practice-orientated teaching in the sense of the commercial educational objective takes place. In the business management centre, work in a company is practised in various departments and different positions and realistically simulates practice.
• The use of the foreign language is to be promoted by establishing business relations with foreign practice companies.
• The compulsory subject ‘e-business and e-business centre (training company), case studies’ builds the basis for implementing the teaching principle of entrepreneurship education
• The organisation of lessons includes interdisciplinary teaching, pedagogically meaningful block teaching, project teaching and open forms of learning.
• Extracurricular places of learning in the professional environment and experts from outside the school increase the practical relevance.

Source: Curriculum of the College of Business Administration for Digital Business (DigbizHAK) Federal Law Gazette II - Issued on 23 May 2018 - No. 105., own compilation: Download.

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