In Germany, the concept of 'Beruf' has, over centuries, shaped occupational identities attaching them to the prestige of vocational preparation, qualification standards and professional norms and ethics. Establishing a strong connection between skills acquisition and occupational labour markets, the socialising function of initial vocational training, typically in form of a dual type of apprenticeship programme, continues to play a central role for socialising young people into acquiring an occupational specialisation to foster their transition from school to work. The paper argues that this concept is increasingly being questioned by newly emerging forms of 'self- management' that require individuals to become agents, who actively try to shape their own occupational trajectories and career paths. Thereby the concept of 'self-management' also involves new forms of learning that increasingly affect workers of all skills levels and not only the highly 'mobile' segment of the workforce. Politically, this debate is of high interest as the European Commission is forcefully supporting 'self-management' strategies in the light of 'lifelong learning' and the new challenges of a 'knowledge society'.