Vocational training - without borders
German companies are teaming up with educational institutions to provide people with vocational qualifications worldwide - in readiness for local job opportunities and to meet Germany’s demand for qualified professionals.
Across the world, Germany’s dual vocational training system with its blend of theory and practice is regarded as a model. Three examples illustrate how companies and educational organisations are training specialist workers abroad for sophisticated production processes, the energy transition and the German employment market.
Medical technology in Malaysia
B. Braun employs around 7,800 people in Malaysia. A globally active medical technologycompany from the German state of Hesse recently opened a Technical Academy in Penang. Based on German vocational training standards, the institution mainly provides courses in technical disciplines. To date, 450 people have successfully completed the various training programmes.
B. Braun now plans to expand the facility into a centre for vocational training and continuing education in Southeast Asia. To this end, the company is cooperating with the Penang Skills Development Centre, which involves the state government, universities and the business sector. Around four million euros is to be invested in the facility by 2030.
Energy transition in Vietnam
The energy transition has a particular relevance for Vietnam, as the country has a huge need for renewable energy sources. Festo Didactic, Schneider Electric Vietnam and their Vietnamese partner IBS have therefore jointly set up a vocational training centre for wind and solar technology with Germany’s Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Since 2021, they have been equipping workshops, developing practical training modules and training teaching staff. 307 teaching staff and in-company trainers have already completed the training. The new modules have been disseminated at 13 vocational colleges, and nearly 300 trainees have so far obtained qualifications in renewable energies. Since March 2025, activities have been underway to extend the project to include Mongolia.
Hub4Africa: Digital routes to Germany
In Africa too, vocational training is combining local job prospects with Germany’s demand for skilled workers. In its Upskilling4Germany Gastronomy project, the Bavarian educational organisation Bildungswerk der Bayerischen Wirtschaft (bbw g GmbH) is training people for jobs in the catering industry in Germany. Since the technical modules are taught in German, applicants already need a solid basic knowledge of German before they begin the course. The 15-week programme combines online classes with practical work experience in companies.
The Hub4Africa platform was launched in 2020 by the Bavarian Industry Association (vbw) in cooperation with the Bavarian State Chancellery and the bbw. It supports digital educational offerings that also lead to international qualifications in nursing and IT.
