The necessity of a dual education system for Romanian automotive industry. Case study: The German dual vocational training

¹ Politehnica University of Bucharest, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Business Engineering and Management, Bucharest, Romania
² Politehnica University of Bucharest, Faculty of Engineering and Management of Technological Systems - I.M.S.T., Bucharest, Romania

^* Corresponding author: ramona.pirlog@gmail.com

Abstract

According to the official data, Romania has more than 600 companies involved in the automotive industry, with more than 203,600 employees. However the automotive industry is facing a real problem when it comes to finding skilled work force. In the west part of the country, the unemployment rate is negative and companies are forced to find solutions for their lack of personnel. This study presents the solutions that were taken by Germany in order to solve the matter. A dual education system was implemented which combines trainings in a company with vocational education. This kind of system is practiced in countries such as: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Korea. As of 2005 young German people can learn one of 356 apprenticeship occupations through this program. In France, dual education has gained a lot of popularity since the 1990s. In order to gain more experience and have multilateral development, in Germany the students are also send to workshops run by guilds or chamber of commerce. The advantages of the dual training system are numerous and this program can help the industry by providing skilled workers with flexible qualifications, solution which may as well be suitable for the Romanian Automotive Industry.