Without a school-leaving certificate for training - how it works!

45,000 pupils – that’s not the number of high school graduates, but the number of those who are expected to leave school this year without a secondary school leaving certificate. But there are also options for training without a degree?

Without a qualification, there is no apprenticeship position – at least that is what parents and teachers all students think. There is no law that says that a prerequisite for dual training is a school leaving certificate. But even with a secondary school leaving certificate, many young people have difficulty finding an apprenticeship at all. So what can you do if you leave school without a degree and still want to do an apprenticeship?

Catch up on school leaving exams in distance learning

Distance learning offers a good opportunity to catch up on school qualifications alongside work. The following institutes offer distance learning courses leading to the desired school leaving certificate:

Vocational preparation year (BVJ)

Those who no longer attend school but are still required to attend school can use the vocational preparation year (BVJ) to gain practical experience in addition to their secondary school leaving certificate. You can register via the school or the entry-level assistant who supports young people from the transition from school to training.

In the BVJ you attend the vocational school for a year and in addition to the main subjects math, German and social studies, you also have job-related subjects such as metal, wood, housekeeping, etc. In addition, you also complete a so-called annual internship in the BVJ. That means looking for a company and going on an internship one day a week. This means that the BVJ is also ideally suited to find out which job is fun for you. And: In an additional examination, you can also catch up on the secondary school leaving certificate, which is so important for your apprenticeship application.

Vocational training measure (BvB) – the "educational companion"

The vocational training measure (BvB) is commissioned by the Federal Employment Agency, e.g. carried out by various educational institutions. If you do not have a degree, but would like to do an apprenticeship, you can use this measure to prepare for a school-leaving certificate. You either attend specially designed classes at cooperating vocational schools or you are prepared for the final exam in the subjects relevant to secondary school leaving exams.

In addition, the participants are optimally prepared for an apprenticeship for ten months – through application coaching, support and remedial classes, and company internships. The so-called educational supervisor organizes, plans and structures the path to training, while the social service provides prompt and competent help when problems arise.

Entry qualification (formerly: entry qualification year)

If you are under 25 and would like to gain practical experience, you can take part in an entry qualification (EQ). The EQ is a long-term internship of at least six to a maximum of twelve months in a training occupation in which the participant gets to know certain activities of the profession. He also frequently attends the vocational school in the relevant specialist class.

As part of the EQ, the practical activities are based on the so-called framework curriculum, i.e. the participant actually performs the same tasks as a trainee in the first year of training. Since he also attends the same subject class, someone who does an EQ can be compared to someone who does the first year of training. If you successfully complete the EQ, you may even be able to count the time against the training period and have the option of being taken over by the company in the second year of training.

But what is the difference between an EQ and normal training? In an EQ the company receives e.g. the training allowance is reimbursed by the employment agency as an incentive. In return, the employer invests time and personnel in the training / EQ of a young person who has not yet found a company-based training position. Both young people without a school leaving certificate and employers thus benefit from an EQ.

Basic vocational training year (BGJ)

Those who are no longer required to attend school but cannot find a training place can complete a basic vocational training year (BGJ) at a vocational school. The basic vocational training year can only be completed in certain professional fields in which you then receive basic training – you should therefore choose a professional field in which you are interested and in which you would later like to work or complete an apprenticeship. Social, commercial, craft or technical professional fields are often offered as school focuses. If successful visit the BGJ can sometimes be credited towards training.

Youth Social Work

Similar to the career entry assistant, the Jugendberufshilfe supports young people who have not yet finished school and are looking for an apprenticeship. You will be regularly looked after by a youth care professional. It helps you e.g. getting a place in the above-mentioned vocational preparation measures, corrects applications or answers questions about everything the topic Education / Work.

Acquire school leaving qualification with training

Incidentally, school leavers who find an apprenticeship position even though they do not have a school leaving certificate automatically acquire the secondary school leaving certificate if they have successfully finished vocational school.

Professions that are possible even without training:

Of course you can, if you have completed your compulsory education or at least. Is 18 years old, can also work without training or a school leaving certificate. Then you can only do auxiliary work.

The following applies: No matter what work you do, the auxiliary worker always gets less wages for the same work than a trained worker. Filling up shelves in the supermarket, doing assembly work, working as a cleaner or kitchen assistant – these are the prospects that school leavers are offered without a degree. The risk of being unemployed is also much greater without training than with training. Temporary employment agencies are often the last port of call before unemployment for people without a school-leaving certificate or training. Here they have to try to stick to the company through temporary contracts and motivated cooperation. In most cases, however, a company takeover is limited, if at all.

Another tip: Anyone who works in a profession for seven years without having completed an apprenticeship can acquire a simplified apprenticeship qualification through a special funding program from the Employment Agency. This requires a written examination in a half-year intensive course. Although the degree is not quite comparable to a normal training qualification, it is examined by the chambers in the same way as in the case of in-company training and awarded when the examination is passed. In such cases, you should contact a career adviser from the Employment Agency.

Another tip: If you work in a profession for seven years without having completed an apprenticeship beforehand, you can acquire a simplified apprenticeship qualification through a special support program from the Employment Agency with a written exam in a six-month intensive course. Although it is not quite comparable to a normal training qualification, it is examined by the chambers in the same way as for in-company training and awarded if the examination is passed. In such cases, you should contact a career adviser from the Employment Agency .