On January 22, 1963, an agreement on mutual co-operation was signed between Germany and France. Among other aspects, this contract concerns the equivalence of school education, examinations, academic titles and degrees.
On June 16, 1977, a second agreement on the equivalence of examination certificates in vocational training was signed between these two countries. This second contract concerns school education, examinations academic titles and degrees, too. According to article II, a question e.g. concerning the potential equivalence of a French exam certificate with a German one will be answered by a Franco-German committee of experts. These experts are supposed to examine the similarities between the training and the equivalence of the exam regulations. The members of this committee are appointed by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Wissenschaft, the Ministerium für Wirtschaft, the Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung, the Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister and the social parties. They are set up by the authorised representative of the Federal Republic of Germany for cultural affairs who acts according to the Franco-German agreement mentioned above.
The Bundesinstitut für Berufsbildung has to carry out the necessary examinations with regard to the comparative professions. The results of these examinations are summarised within a report which then is submitted to the experts of the Franco-German committee. The act of giving equality is realised by exchange of notes of the governments and in Germany internally put into practice by means of a degree.
Up to the end of September 1996, examination certificates of 30 different professions that had been obtained in Germany have been brought into line with the corresponding French certificates. On the basis of this agreement, 35 per cent of all German trainees will obtain the possibility to exercise their jobs in France and to receive further vocational training there.
On October 21, 1986, an agreement establishing guidelines for further Franco-German projects was signed between the two governments. This contract was inspired by the efforts of the member states of the EU to achieve closer co-operation in terms of vocational training as scheduled by the Maastricht-contract.
The Franco-German agreement intends to take measures in order to increase meetings of youths and adults within the sphere of further vocational training. Moreover, it supports the exchange of information with regard to educational policy and the corresponding educational projects.
In Saarbrücken, a Ständiges Sekretariat für den Austausch beruflicher Bildung (DSA) was brought into being. Since the end of the 80's, the DSA has carried out more than 100 exchange-measures every year with some 2,500 to 3,000 participants from both countries. Further measures concerning especially the exchange of vocational pupils and of young working persons are planned to put into practice under the leadership of the Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk (DFJW) and the help of the supportive programme of the EU.
It is a common request that parts of vocational qualifications which are required in the home country should be made available in foreign countries as well. These qualifications should be taken into account in the form of modules, but there have only been occasional projects in this case. Today, a general solution to this problem has not yet come into sight.
While students who want to enter the so-called 'Grandes Écoles' have to pass the 'Concours d'entree' as a means of qualification to take up their courses of study, other French universities do not demand such an entrance examination. The enrolment is made for one year of study, while the final examination for this year serves as a certificate for the German examination committee and, simultaneously, as a means of qualification for the participation in the following year of study in France.
The centre of information concerned with affairs of recognition in France is a department of the French ministry of national education and culture in Paris:
Ministere de L'Enseignement Superieur et de la Recherche
Direction Generale des Enseignements Superieurs
Departement des Affaires Europeennes, Internationales
et Francophones
Rue Dutot 61-65
F - 75015 Paris
Phone: (33) 1 - 40656589
Fax: (33) 1 - 40.6567.54
Contact: Yves VALLAT
This centre answers written inquiries of single persons and of public or private enterprises concerning the recognition of examination certificates under the aspect of further education or the further pursuance of a profession.
Responsible for deciding on affairs of recognition are either the principal of the university or the minister of national education and culture, who decides on the recognition of academic degrees in medicine or pharmaceutics.
In the year 1980 the European Court of Justice emphasised in its opinion of this article that the Council of Europe is authorised to issue directives intending common actions in the field of vocational education and to persuade the member states in such a way.
From the point of view of the Court vocational education includes all the professional education preparing for a certain qualification. That means it includes also courses of studies. This point of view is in contrast to that of the Deutscher Bildungsrat.
Whereas the German system of vocational education has a first "block" which is subject to the laws of vocational education and a second one containing the courses of studies at universities, etc., in the French system professional certificates are related to various standards basing upon each other (system of modules).
The recommended system for the European Community combining education in the firm and partial school and based upon reciprocal action of the two, is in use in both countries.
In Germany above all during the education of skilled workers and employers; in France - under the centralised control of the state, which is solely responsible for education in general and vocational education and which solely has the authorisation to grant diplomas and titles - companies are allowed to impart instruction for higher professions, too.
French companies, however, are allowed - again clearly subject to the instructions of the state and supported by it - to offer places for practical studies.
Finally, French companies for the purposes of further education carry out measures for (re)-integration into the labour market.
In the German system the federal state has to enact the laws concerning vocational education whereas general education is cared for by the Länder.
According to the prevailing opinion in France the dominant role of the state should be maintained in the sphere of educational policy.
So the task of education cannot be left to profit oriented companies. Every vocational education should be combined with general education.
French people expect for each and every successful step in the sphere of vocational education a kind of a 'diploma'.
Certificates drawn up by companies don't have the rank of national diplomas. Whereas in Germany a company can only be set up by someone who has a diploma/examination with the title of a 'master', in France this is not asked for when e.g. young people want to run their own business (only exception: hairdresser).
In German vocational education general subjects are of less importance and are not controlled in the examinations whereas in France these subjects are important for the total evaluation.
Further education - both in Germany and France part of the vocational field - is only in France guaranteed by the constitution.
French universities tend to ask for more practical experiences in industry without which examinations will not be taken. Teaching staff is composed of practitioners and teachers in the classical sense but in the last ten years due to financial restrictions assistantships are cut down.
Several concepts in the European Union are obviously influenced by the French system of education especially of vocational education and training.
" Rothe, G. Die Systeme beruflicher Qualifizierung Frankreichs und Deutschlands im Vergleich", IFAB, Nürnberg 1995