Questions to the Project Owner Mr. Thoenissen
What is the need for skilled workers in the USA?
“The demand for trained professionals in the USA is enormous: the demand from school leavers is also present. In the future, the dual vocational education and training system will cover the demand with the supply of trained specialists.”
What is the total capital requirement?
“The total cost of all dual training centers amounts to a total of US$ 224 billion. A training center will cost a total of around US$ 1.2 billion. A training centre is to go into operation after a construction phase of a maximum of 3 years.”
When does the project start?
“The project has been working on for 4 years. Many stakeholders are already involved and waiting for kick-off. At the beginning of 2022, the implementation phase will begin.”
Where is training done?
Training companies are located in a training centre and training is provided there for all specialist areas. From administration to logistics. As a result, comprehensive training can be guaranteed on site for 350 – 400 job profiles and occupational groups.
The implementation – What is needed?
German vocational training enjoys an excellent international reputation. According to many experts, it is the reason for the comparatively low youth unemployment in Germany. More than half of German adolescents start a classic dual vocational training. The special feature of dual vocational education and training is its “corporatist” control, i.e. the equal participation of the state and the economy: The state defines the framework conditions and standards for training via the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (HwO) (rights and obligations of remuneration, suitability of training institutions and training personnel, regulations for the final examination, etc.). (compare Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung) In Germany, the economy has an impact on vocational training from its side by having the social partners – the employers’ associations and the trade unions – determine the learning content and conditions for individual training occupations, which are then laid down in appropriate training regulations.
What is the need?
The importance of skilled workers for an economy
At the first meeting in 2017 between Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump, the US President praised the German system of training in companies and vocational schools as exemplary. 50 percent of all school leavers in Germany opt for dual vocational education and training. At 5.4 percent, the US currently has historically low unemployment (as of September 2021). Regionally, however, there are major problems in parts of the US when it came to filling vacancies in the labor market. The reason is the lack of qualification of the employees. A standardization – analogous to the German dual system for vocational training – of industry-specific training courses, competencies and skills will result in many employees being able to be employed in another company in the event of a company closure. The United States wants to learn from the expertise of the Germans and institutionalize a vocational education and training system that will benefit all actors in the country.
“Technical Education Act"
The objectives and subject matter of the “Technical Education Act” project are:
– the establishment of decentralised, dual training centres,
– Germany’s recipe for success for the national economy should also help the USA to have more qualified skilled workers.
The establishment of dual training centers is a central element in the American training offensive. In a fast-track procedure, the first colleges have already been converted and a kind of cross-company training has been offered there. The big goal is to initiate 2.5 million training centers, with each training center offering 20,000 training places per training year: this means that each training center accommodates a total of 40,000 trainees (1st and 2nd year of training).
The dual training centers are a mixture of industrial area and college campus. In close cooperation with Laura Ginsburg, the first cornerstones were defined and the possibility of offering many of the Eligible Labor Market Programs of the US Department of Labor in these training centers was also worked out.
The overarching time frame of dual training:
– 2 years of training (24 – 30 months), which takes place on five days in the company and one day in the vocational school.
Development of the dual training system in Germany compared to the USA
The companies that join the training system set up branches as so-called training companies. The advantages are:
– Apprentices from these companies can be taken on in the main branches or switch to similar companies after completion and passing the journeyman’s examination.
– The core of every training centre is the vocational school. It is taught 6 days a week in 200 classrooms.
– At least 200 vocational school teachers are needed in each training centre
The dual training system in the USA
Vocational training in the USA cannot be compared with German training. While in Germany there is a prescribed training regulation for every recognized training occupation, in the USA the same job titles do not mean the same training courses.
The aim is to increase the performance and skills of the workforce through an improved vocational education and training system. In addition, unemployment is avoided.
The Areas
In order to set up a training centre, you need a floor area of at least 3,500 ha. Areas of 4,500 – 5,500 ha or larger are ideal for spatial development. A completely new infrastructure will then be built on these areas, such as.B power grids, supply and disposal systems, roads, communication and modern transport systems.
The goal: to strengthen and increase the attractiveness of the region and the location through the construction of e.B hotels, leisure facilities and recreation areas.
The costs for the construction of the halls and offices of a single training company are manageable:
– For example, about US$ 380 million will be needed for the construction of 240 – 250 halls with offices, social rooms and technology
– In addition, an additional US$ 220 million will be invested to accommodate shops and premises for services such as.B hairdressers, cafes, restaurants, system catering, etc.
The vocational school
The vocational school is the core of the dual training system. The requirements for a vocational school in the USA are much greater than they are known in Germany. 40,000 trainees have theoretical and practical lessons every day, 6 days a week etc. to offer space. The reason for this is the intention to successfully complete an apprenticeship in a time frame of 24 months to a maximum of 30 months. Thus, a correspondingly large number of classrooms must be built. A vocational school in a training centre must therefore have at least 250 classrooms.
Planned construction costs for a vocational school: approx. US$ 350 million
Administration building
An administrative building in a training center is organized in a similar way to a town hall or a city administration. In addition to the actual administration, there are also security services, service and maintenance companies, service providers and financial institutions. In addition, public areas such as the library, media forum, advisory centre and other non-professional meeting places will be set up in the administrative buildings.
The area/size: 1.5 million SF (100.000sqm)
Planned costs: US$ 70 million including technical equipment.
The potential
The first goal is to initially create 5 million training places. The potential is 25 million training places, which will be targeted over the next few years.
Planned construction costs for a vocational school: approx. US$ 350 million
Financing
The financing is based on investments, subsidies, grants and sponsorship. Many investors are institutional investors and contribute US$ 500 million in investment volume to the success of the project. The investors and sponsors are donors from the USA.
Share of investors in financing in percent
Government investment totals US$ 224 billion over the next 6 to 8 years. This investment volume was set under the presidency of Donald Trump, which is expected to create 5.1 million training places and a further 1.2 million new jobs.