In England and Germany, as in other European countries, there are groups of young people who do not have the qualifications required to progress to Advanced level study post-16, but for whom the state has assumed a responsibility to provide appropriate educational and training provision with suitable progression routes to further study, training or employment. The paper will focus on the provision for these groups of young people, specifically on Intermediate level full-time vocational education for 16-19 year olds in England and Germany for those who did not achieve the required level at age 16 to progress to Advanced level study, whether vocational/practical or liberal/academic in nature. This includes those who wished but were unable to enter the dual system in Germany or undertake an advanced apprenticeship in England, for example owing to a lack of places. (See: Kremer 2008.) There will be an overview of the relative histories of the attempts to address the needs of these groups of young people as per the objectives of Lisbon Strategy. The varying solutions will be compared and explained in terms of the cultural, educational and employment contexts with differences identified and explained. The research question at the heart of the paper will be an exploration of the different conceptions and manifestations of courses in the two countries using a framework for analysis of full-time vocational education programmes based in schools and colleges. The main dimensions of the framework are: the institutional context; the purpose and aims of the course; the nature of the student body; resources and facilities; curriculum; pedagogical approaches and assessment practices. Within these dimensions key foci are the relationship with work and the extent of employer involvement. Two studies of vocational provision for 16-19 year-olds at intermediate level, one from each country, drawing on research undertaken by the presenters will be presented using the conceptual framework The paper will draw out the cultural orientation towards employment and training through the influence of the dual system in Germany and the strong academic orientation and consequent influence of A levels and higher education in England and the policy nervousness with vocational education. It will point up the employment oriented vocational training provided in Germany with its strong theoretical components and contrast this with the much broader approach in England with an emphasis on soft skills and key skills and combined with vocational contextualisation, experience and employer involvement.

The paper will draw on the three-year evaluation of the vocational specialist schools programme undertaken by the University of Leeds as well as on a programme of research into vocational education undertaken by Paderborn University. The principal methodological approach taken in this research was longitudinal, case study fieldwork, entailing interviews with a wide range of staff and students in schools, colleges, private training providers, employers, advice and guidance services and local education authorities. It also involved observation of vocational learning and documentary analysis. (See: Higham and Yeomans, 2007; Ertl / Kremer 2005.)

A significant outcome is the presentation of a conceptual framework developed at the University of Leeds as a result of a three-year evaluation of the vocational specialist schools programme in England. The framework provides a structure for evaluating the extent to which a full-time programme based in an educational institution may be said to be vocational in nature, rather than, for example essentially practical, pre-vocational or technical. The framework will serve as a basis for a discussion of the various purposes and forms of vocational education in England and Germany: including the development of basic skills; practical learning; general education prior to employment; occupationally-specific preparation or training. These will be related to earlier theoretical understandings such as the ‘new vocationalism’ (Bates et al, 1984), ‘liberal vocationalism’ (Silver & Brennan, 1988) and ‘controlled vocationalism’ (Bates et al, 1998) and confront the discussion with the understanding of vocational education in Germany.