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How Germany is Able to Produce Such Talented Designer/Builders at Such a Young Age

Americans could learn a lot from this system. But we're American, so we won't

By Rain Noe - March 31, 2016

in design.edu

For those who have seen a lot of student design work in America, the quality of student work coming out of Germany can seem staggeringly high in comparison. At the ICFF in New York you'll see some nice pieces from American design schools, the students standing behind them maybe 20, 21 years old. At Holz-Handwerk in Germany you'll spot something that's practically a masterpiece, and find out that the kid who created it is barely 18.

How is this possible? Well, we first need to understand that the German educational system is radically different from America's. As an example, your average American design student of 18 is a freshman who's taking their first Foundation courses and won't even get to touch a table saw until sophomore year. In Germany, someone who's 18 might already have three years or more of shop experience.

That's because Germany has a system of placing students in different "tracks" from a relatively young age. From age six to roughly age ten, all German students are in the same sort of primary school. But after that, their paths begin to diverge as they enter one of three types of secondary school:

Gymnasium

This is for kids who are going to college (er, "university"). It's basically a prep-school for university. The emphasis at a Gymnasium is on academic learning, and kids will spend nine years studying here, meaning they get out one year later than what would be the 12th grade in America, at around 19 years of age. Approximately 30% of German kids attend Gymnasium.

Realschule

The majority of German kids--some 40%--are tracked into a Realschule. While this is technically below a Gymnasium in terms of academic standards, it still offers education of a higher quality than American high schools. (Well, these days, what doesn't….) Kids in a Realschule get their diploma around 16 or 17 and can then enter the workforce or pursue more specialized schooling.

Hauptschule

Some 10% of kids are tracked into a Hauptschule. These provide a general education while preparing students to enter vocational trades, and it is here that they learn Arbeitslehre ("Introduction to the world of work"), which is absent in the two other types of schools. Hauptschule students can finish their education as early as 15, at which time they can enter the workforce, gain an apprenticeship or attend an upper secondary trade school to study a particular specialty. Chances are high that a furniture designer/builder in Germany attended a Hauptschule.

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In my opinion, this is a brilliant system. I realize it can sound abhorrent to entitled American parents who like telling their kids that they can all run for President (which is of course ridiculous; not everyone is cut out to tell campaign trail lies while blowing through hundreds of millions of dollars). And the explanation I was given of the German system is that the country pragmatically understands that society needs doctors and garbagemen, lawyers and plumbers, engineers and construction workers. Each of these professions have value and contribute to the greater good in their own way, and it makes good sense to prepare each trade for their work at an early age. I believe that this contributes to the high levels of competence that one witnesses across all levels in Germany.

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In a nutshell, that explains how a talented designer in Germany could start gaining shop experience from a very early age, and how his or her skills could be so advanced compared to, say, a same-aged ID sophomore at RISD. It's also possible for a German designer/builder to have attended a Gymnasium, subsequently attended university and majored in proper Industrial Design, which would put him or her at the same skill level at roughly the same age as their American counterparts. But attending a Hauptschule essentially gives them a head start, and lets them avoid studying a lot of topics that might not be needed in their later work.

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Lastly I should say, what I've laid out here are the broad strokes of German education, which may quickly become outdated. In recent years there have been experimental hybrid or alternative secondary schools popping up, as in liberal Berlin. Also, these tracks are not final sentences; it's possible, if statistically unlikely, for students in any of the three tracks to transfer or to wind up in fields alongside students from a different track.

Next we'll show you some of the fine work that students who have gone through the Hauptschule system, and subsequently attended an upper secondary trade school, have produced and put on show at Holz-Handwerk. We've also got an upcoming interview from an educator who explains how his school produces master craftspeople. Stay tuned!

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botchjob - RBT

8 years ago

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i strongly support the comments of Richard and Andreas - for most Kids "Hauptschule" is a dead end. companies tend to hire those who ran through "Realschule" for higher skilled manufacturing jobs and crafts. Those kind of jobs tend to be the platform from where to start a career as designer (without university style ID-education).

what the author totally missed is the "dual" character of the German job training. One part is training on the job, working in the company that pays your (small) salary after leaving Real- or Hauptschule, the secong part leads directly back to school benches. In "Berufsschulen" the young apprentices are trained in all those skills, they can't train within the sometimes highly specialized host-companies. This helps a lot to widen the horizont of the apprentices and of course helps to keep a nation wide standard regarding crafts and manufacturing skills.

Meisterschulen are a another set of training facilities that offer higher education for those who chose (or got stuffed into) the more practical path (i.e. Real/hauptschule -> apprenticeship -> Meisterschule). For most people aiming to gain a degree as "meister" (do not mix with Master of .. at universities) some years of work-experience are expected before they attend a Meisterschule.

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- Rain Noe
  
  botchjob - RBT
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Hi RBT, I've not "missed the 'dual' character of German job training" but have saved it for an upcoming article. I was excited to get to interview, at Holz-Handwerk, someone who runs a Holzfachschule that produces master furniture builders. Stay tuned!
  
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  - botchjob - RBT
    
    Rain Noe
    
    8 years ago
    
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    well ok then, i am already curious to learn your perspective on that part of german education system.
    
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Richard Quinn

8 years ago

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Andreas is absolutely correct in his analysis of the social aspect of schooling in Germany.

Hauptschule is, and is seen, as the basement bucket collection for kids without the background to go somewhere better. Only 10% of German kids go to a Hauptschule, not 30% as stated in the article. And of those, 40% are still unemployed 2 years after leaving, a catastrophic balance in a country with unemployment rates as low as Germany's, and with such robust methods to ensure that all school-leavers find some kind of apprenticeship. More (in German, selbstverändlich, here: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/karriere/abschaffung-der-hauptschule-wider-die-stigmatisierung-1.190732 )

A better explanation for the exceptional, young talent as described here is, however, rooted in the German school system. Neither the Realschule nor the Gymnasium are as homegenous as described. In both school types, there are specialist schools such as Werksgymnasium, Sozialgymnasium, and Werksrealschule which churn out students who have spent 7-9 years specializing in vocational training.

The General-Grammar-School (Algemeinbildendesgymansium) is, however, geared entirely towards academic study, where fact-learning is valued, but not seen to be of a higher value than the pursuit of academic enquiry for itself.

Another factor, often missed, is that German teachers are not employees, as a rule. They have a special status of "Beamte" - which is an employment category, a social status, and a mark of achievement unto itself. The closest translation I can think of is "Career - chartered - civil servant". As they aren't employees, they can't be released from an employment contract. Besides gross misconduct, they have a job for life. This system gives the state an unusually direct line of control in how education is delivered. A system intended to prevent the rise of indoctrinated (nazi) children, it is also unusually effective in ensuring consistently high teaching standards.

Hope this helps!

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- Rain Noe
  
  Richard Quinn
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Hi Richard, thanks for the link; the 30% figure given by an English-language website does in fact appear to be inaccurate. Will correct in the text above.
  
  The bit about the state-controlled education system as totalitarian preventionism is fascinating (though again, beyond the scope of the main body of this blog, if not the comments). It reminds me of an account I read from a soldier in the modern-day Germany military who explained that they were specifically taught that they did not have to blindly follow all orders, which I found interesting.
  
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- botchjob - RBT
  
  Richard Quinn
  
  8 years ago
  
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  well apprenticeship and berufsschule go hand in hand. part time of the week one spends in the host company, part time of the week the young folks go to berufsschule
  
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Lisa Gerkens

8 years ago

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"Chances are high that a furniture designer/builder in Germany attended a Hauptschule." this is simply very untrue. Getting any decent job or education after only attending Hauptschule is almost impossible.

a few additional comments from somebody who did actually go to school in Germany, is a designer, builds things daily and graduated from gymnasium to go to design school:

- Much fewer people attend the Hauptschule as stated
- hauptschule doesn't really qualify you for anything and would not make you admissible for a designs school
- most "builders" carpenters and so on are graduate from a Realschule
- the system is highly socially problematic as kids from parents that have been in Realschule and Hauptschule will rarely be accepted into a gymnasium. this means: workforce stays workforce.
- I agree on all points with Andreas.

Most design students have their A-levels wich means they attended gymnasiums and a few attended Hauptschule.

I am sorry Rain but your article just simply way off.

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- Lisa Gerkens
  
  Lisa Gerkens
  
  8 years ago
  
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  I do agree however that the german teaching of craftsmanship might be good. Its very based on apprenticeship.
  
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  - botchjob - RBT
    
    Lisa Gerkens
    
    8 years ago
    
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    Rain, got your point now. it might be true that a split education system (may it be 2 or 3 path) is a more efficient approach to modern educational needs. those who aim for university have the ability to gain the necessary skills and mindsets (leaving school after 12-13 years), while the more practical oriented ones don't waste time in an educational institution not helping them in any way (drop out after 10th grade @ real or hauptschule). it doesn't even matter if the whole bunch went to a gesamtschule. Those seeking an apprenticeship would leave after 10th grade anyway while the future egghats check in for 2-3 more years.
    
    nevertheless i strongly question your thesis, that the chances are high to find a furniture designer with roots in hauptschul-education, until statistics prove me wrong i'd say chances are rather low. i'd put my money on realschule and gymnasium. interestingly some of those who went for gym. put a (mostly shortend) apprenticeship on top to bring the neccessary crafty skills for university style IDschool
    
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  - Rain Noe
    
    Lisa Gerkens
    
    8 years ago
    
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    Lisa, in your opening you've added the word "only," which I did not; and by modifying the quote with your choice of word, yes, it no longer makes sense.
    
    My understanding was that more than half of the students who enter Berufsschule come from Hauptschule backgrounds with a three-year apprenticeship in between; is that not accurate?
    
    I was warned that the tripartite system is a divisive topic in Germany, even from region to region, and have avoided touching on this because frankly, I feel it's beyond the scope of this blog. The main purpose of this entry is to expose our (largely American) readership to the existence of this alternate education system, one that explains how an American ID senior, for instance, can find themselves behind in shop skills compared to a similar-aged builder in Germany.
    
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Andreas Beer

8 years ago

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In theory it might seem brilliant. Sad truth is, that kids with rich/academic families go to Gymnasium, the aspiring ones are on Realschule, and those that are poor or where the parents don't care end up in the Hauptschule. As a result, best teachers work mostly at Gymnasium, while those who can't find a good teaching job end up in Hauptschule. Diversity is much lower in Gymnasium than in Hauptschule, too.

For all these reasons there are many attempts at moving to the new system of having a Gesamtschule, where all three are learning together with specialized courses based on individual preferences, and only at a later stage students have to decide whether to go for this or that track. Also you can switch much easier from one track to another, without losing your whole social network. I think it's a much better system.

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- Serco Kraft
  
  Andreas Beer
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Sorry, but this is also not true. I was at the Realschule for a couple of years and afterwards went "down" to the Hauptschule. The best teachers, by far, were the ones at the Hauptschule. They knew exactly how to talk and how to teach the young people. Now I'm doing my master's degree. Diversity at the Hauptschule, in my eyes, was catastrophic as it resulted in groups divided by ethnic background in combination with brawls and lots of bullying.
  
  I'm not sure if a Gesamtschule would be a good solution, but the current system is also wrong in many ways (education content, no creativity, no free thinking, ...).
  
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- botchjob - RBT
  
  Andreas Beer
  
  8 years ago
  
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  regarding the military, that's true. if a command is obviously against the rules of HR or simply german law, soldiers are even obliged not to carry it out
  
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