GATE - German Apprenticeship Training Exchange
GATE (German Apprenticeship Training Exchange) is a grant program of the Joachim Herz Foundation (JHF) that aims to make it easier for trainees to gain experience in the United States and to share ideas and knowledge with their peers.
We are focussing our commitment on the USA and the South East in particular. We have transformed the former farm of our founder Joachim Herz in Covington near Atlanta in the state of Georgia into a modern conference venue that we want to use for transatlantic dialogue. Our partners can use the location free of charge for their events.
In the GATE programme, we promote school partnerships between vocational schools exclusively with colleges in the USA.
The GATE program supports new or existing exchange projects between German vocational schools and partner schools or colleges in the U.S. with grants of up to €20,000. All German vocational schools are eligible to apply and can allocate parts of the German grant to fund a visit to Germany by students and faculty from a partner college in the USA. The application must be submitted by the German vocational school, which receives the approved funds in the form of a donation.
Helping Trainees Gain International Experience
Promoting intercultural exchange between young professionals (“Azubis”: vocational students and apprentices) is one of the core activities within the program area “Personal Development” at the Joachim Herz Foundation. Germany’s dual vocational education system in technical, business, and numerous other trades is an important and popular career path. In it, apprentices combine employment at German companies with classroom learning in structured course programs at vocational schools at the same time.
The opportunities for trainees to gain international experience during thiseir training period are limited. Whereas around 30% of the German students in higher education gain international experience during their studies, at present only 5% of “Azubis” have this opportunity, even though the interest in internships abroad has risen among trainees in recent years.
Annual Transatlantic Networking Events
The annual Transatlantic Networking Day of the Joachim Herz Foundation is aimed at representatives of institutions providing vocational education or skills-based training, employers which host apprentice trainees, exchange organizations, ministries of education, chambers of commerce and industry as well as program alumni (students) and those interested in deepening ties between Germany and the USA.
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