Skopje, 1 September 2021 (MIA) – The Delegation of the German Economy in North Macedonia welcomed on Wednesday the fourth generation of students who have enrolled in dual vocational education based on a German model and guided by German principles, according to a press release. “We welcome the fourth generation of students who decided to partake in the German model of dual vocational education, and who will dedicate themselves to four years of education in the new educational profiles of Industrial Mechatronic Technician and Production Mechanical Engineering Technician. “Alongside German experts, we conduct training for the trainers looking after the students when they’re doing practical classes in the companies. These companies are investing in modern classrooms meant exclusively for the needs of the students attending classes there. We’re building this dual vocational education according to a German model, with German quality and principles, and we don’t want to offer anything less to our partner companies to what they’d get in Germany,” said the director of the Delegation of German Economy, Patrick Martens. Martins added the Delegation has been implementing the dual vocational education following a German model for the fourth year in a row. “For 150 years, dual vocational education has been part of small, mid-sized and large companies in Germany. It’s the secret to the success of the German economy. The companies manage to secure professional staff according to its needs, and youth unemployment rates are going down simultaneously. The Delegation has been working in the country for over 20 years. By increasing German investments in the Macedonian market, which secures 25,000 more jobs and are the biggest employers, it was clear 5 years ago that we’re going to face a shortage in expertly educated staff. That’s how our dual vocational education model started,” Martens said. The Delegation is conducting the German model of dual vocational education in six cities in the country. Its partners are six vocational high schools and ten investor companies – seven German, three other foreign companies, and two Macedonian companies. After completing four years of education, alongside a state diploma, the students will get a special quality certificate that will secure them a job in the companies where they train, the Delegation says. dk/mr/