FED qualification levels are often referred to as indicators for knowledge and skills available in a society. Overall, in 2009 28 % of the adult population in the European member states aged 25-64 years have not reached upper secondary level (ISCED 3). For Germany this applies to 14.5 % (Eurydice 2011: 9). Any general formal qualification grades miss about 3.9 % of the population in Germany in 2008 (Autorengruppe Bildungsberichterstattung 2010: 227f.). Despite the fact that the share of graduates leaving the educational system with higher general qualifications increased since 1996 in Germany, still 7.5 % of pupils aged 15 to 17 leave the general schooling system without any formal qualification grade (ibid. 2008: 88, 2010: 227f.). At the same time, formal qualifications become more and more significant for further vocational qualification and integration into economic life and society (Solga 2004: 128f.). The necessity for providing possibilities to catch up or to upgrade formal qualifications is an important issue from an individual as well as economical perspective.

The German educational system offers different ways to obtain general formal qualification grades outside the general schooling system. These options vary considerably regarding institutional settings, relations to initial education activities and individual life situations of students. Ever since the 1950ies the educational system in Germany holds options to participate in general education at a later stage in life (ISCED 2-4). Traditionally, these institutions – overall referred to as ‘schools for adults’ – were addressed to occupationally experienced people who were targeting career advancement by upgrading their formerly achieved formal qualification grades. Today, increasingly institutions of the vocational educational system offer to obtain general schooling grades (ISCED 2-4) within vocational qualification programmes for those who left the general schooling system without formal qualifications (Harney et al. 2007). By this, failed school leavers have a second chance in vocational education. Besides this, there is a small and in this context hardly noticed segment of programmes focusing on alphabetisation and basic education leading to formal education level ISCED 2. All in all, these very heterogeneous learning activities are generally referred to as ‘second chance education’ (SCE).

Studies on SCE are generally rare in Germany. Available analyses focus on specific areas, school types, programmes and/or different groups of participants (Nittel 2009). Due to the heterogeneity of this field, the existing research results show a very fragmented picture of second-chance education (Käpplinger 2009). In particular, it is difficult to evaluate the importance of second-chance education within educational and occupational pathways. A rather large study in the State of Hesse in Germany of participants in different institutions offering SCE indicates that motivation for participation, participation structure and success rates vary with heterogeneous transitions into SCE (Harney et al. 2007). If these findings can be generalised based on a representative sample for Germany is still an open question. Furthermore, the impact SCE on educational and occupational trajectories is not yet evaluated: Do different pathways into SCE influence participation further education and occupational development even in later life?

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