In December 2019, the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of German federal states (Länder) adopted recommendations on German as a language of education and on language-sensitive teaching at vocational schools.

With the joint recommendation 'Strengthening educational language skills in the German language', the federal states have established an orientation framework for strengthening educational language skills in the German language. This framework will enable them to individually adapt existing and future measures. Furthermore, the federal states have agreed on ten principles to form the basis for the successful strengthening of educational language competences in the German language:

1. Language education and language promotion are carried out consistently and systematically throughout all stages of education;
2. Language education is a cross-sectional task for all those involved in school education and a universal teaching principle in all subjects, learning areas and fields of learning;
3. Concepts for language education and language promotion are part of teaching and school development;
4. Language education and language promotion contribute to a holistic personality development as well as a world and value orientation;
5. Language education and the targeted training of educational language skills contribute to the development of individual talents;
6. Multilingualism is a resource for language education and language promotion;
7. Language promotion is based on both standardised and informal diagnostic procedures;
8. Language education and language promotion are based on scientific findings and are supported by evidence-based measures and procedures wherever possible;
9. Digitisation is both a challenge and an opportunity for language education and language promotion;
10. Communication of concepts of language education and language promotion should, as much as possible, be an integral part of all phases of teacher training and should be taken into account in the training of pedagogical staff in early childhood education and care.

In addition to this, there is also a recommendation on "Language sensitive specialised teaching at vocational schools" which addresses the particular challenges of promoting specialised language at vocational schools. With their offerings for career entry, initial vocational education and training, as well as higher and continuing vocational education and training, vocational schools provide a coordinated and interlinked system of diverse educational options geared to the vocational and social integration of broadly diverse target groups.

More and more youth and young adults with varying degrees of linguistic and communicative competences are entering education programmes offered by vocational schools. This increasing heterogeneity of the student body with or without a migration background poses further challenges for vocational schools. The promotion of vocational language skills is thus fundamental for a successful transition to the world of work and further education programmes.

Source: Eurydice Germany Unit