Vocational education in apple production in Germany

Germany is producing about 1 million tons of apples per year. To understand the vocational education system in horticulture in Germany it is necessary to look at the economics surrounding the production. Since 2002 the area to produce these apples stayed at 32,000 ha. But the number of producing farms has decreased from 10,561 down to 6074 (down by 42.5%). The remaining producers enlarged their production systems from 3 up to 5.2 ha per farm. This economic development is reflected by the number of apprentices that training to be apple farmers. This number declined from 17,523 apprentices in 2001 down to 12,804 in 2014. The vocational education system in Germany is typically a step-by-step system with different levels and a mixture of theoretical and practical learning. The education takes 3-5 years and is a mixture between school and working on a farm. During that time, the students learn basic general skills in school, like mathematics, economics, or a foreign language. They also learn practical skills, for instance, to operate machines, cultivate apple trees, and how to do other practical work on an apple farm. The exams are graded not only by teachers from a state school, but also by farmers. In the dual vocational training system in Germany, it is possible to reach different levels. After some years of practical work the students can apply for the next level. The highest-level students can reach in the dual vocational training system is a master's degree. In their final presentation, they talk about their learning objectives and how these contribute to enabling apple growers in Germany adapt to the conditions of the future market.