Since the historic reunification, the nation of Germany has been undergoing considerable difficulties socially, economically and psychologically. Hence the prevailing opinion that the German reunification is complete only politically while incomplete in many other respects. The costs of achieving the grand feat shook the very foundations of the economy in the richer former West Germany, and the people in this region were given the buren to bear before there was formed a nationwide support. A troubled economy in the formerly communist region, plagued by unfavorable labor market conditions and an unprecedented unemployment rate, remains one of the biggest problems facing Federal Republic of Germany today. This thesis aims to analyze and compare the continuing vocational education in the eastern and the western regions of the united Germany to see how they have each evolved under the socio-economic conditions and the labor market policies after reunification. Furthermore, the thesis seeks to assess the outcome of the evolution of continuing vocational education, identifying the positive as well as the negative developments that have taken place.
To understand the changes that have occurred after unification, the thesis first examines the continuing and vocational education in the divided Germany. Initially, vocational education on either side of the Berlin Wall was founded on a common basis of the dual system. Because this dual system is closely related to the economy, vocational education in the East and the West with diverging systems naturally developed into different forms after the World War Ⅱ. What they shared in common was a workplace-centered vocational education, but from that common ground they went their separate ways. In the West, vocational education was left to the market forces to shape, guided only by the limited restriction exercised within the basic legal framework. In the East, the state monitored and assumed control over all aspects of vocational education.
The thesis then proceeds to examine the change that took place in vocational education in both eastern and western regions of Germany after reunification, as well as the key factors that led to these changes. The post-unification policies relating to the continuing vocational education were analyzed, and in this, greater attention was given to the former communist region, which experienced changes at a level more intensive than in the West. The objective was to identify what these policies have successfully achieved, what they have failed to achieve, and what outcomes are expected of them in the future. The results of the analysis render meaningful lessons for the vocational and continuing education sector in Korea.
Significant economic and labor market changes began to take place as, what had previously been a planned economy in the former East German region shifted to market economy. As this transition progressed the labor market met with a major crisis, which required social and political cooperation as well as state support to resolve. A series of labor market policies were adopted as a measure to stay the aggravation of conditions in midst of ongoing efforts to stabilize the united German nation. The idea was basically to maintain the policy framework of West Germany, and to expand its implementation to the East German region. The policies imposed a more lax set of standards far workers in the eastern region as would the law would allow. The main objective was to protect their livelihood as well as to maintain or further upgrade their work competency. The government sought to serve these purposes by expanding supply in the labor market by encouraging shortened work hours, early retirement, vocational education and entrepreneurship. Through these efforts Germany resolved to a substantial extent the economic crisis in the eastern parts and relieved much of the pressure off the labor market.
In the unique context of labor market conditions after German unification, continuing vocational education achieved a number of positive outcomes. First of all, it helped the unemployed workforce to stay in touch with the labor market and thereby increased the valid supply of labor. Maintaining this linkage between the unemployed and the labor market also helped keep the unemployed motivated and skilled. For employed workers, vocational education was the most effective way, on the one hand to prevent their unemployment and on the other, to encourage them to develop their work competency in preparation for the new economic system and possib1e career transition. The po1icy on vacational education helped to sustain the tottering economy in the eastern part of the united Germany and lifted off some of the pressure in the labor market. Without these policies Germany may have faced serious crises in both its society and economy, which could have taken a greater length of time to fully recover from.
Nevertheless, the large-scale insolvency in the business sector and unemployment in the eastern part of Germany was not a problem that effective vocational education alone could fully solve. Despite the obvious limitation of vocational education as a cure for these maladies, the German government put too much stock in what it could achieve. As a result, excess in government subsidy for the unemployed had the side effect of reducing their motivation to re-enter the labor market. Such inefficiency in the use of financia1 and other resources in vocational education increased the already considerable burden on the richer West. A greater hindrance to effective vocational education was the passivity and the defensiveness of citizens in the East in their values and views on education. Indeed, if unification of the systems and institutions met considerable success, unification at the social and psychological level has lagged far behind. The East is still suffering from a sense of defeat as the inferior and second-class citizens of the unified Germany.
Raising the standards of economy and living in the East to equal levels of the West requires the effective adaptation of citizens in the former East Germany to the new market system and a shift from their passive and dependent, lifestyle to one which is more active and autonomous. Similarly, meaningful continuing and vocational education is only possib1e when each participant recognizes that developing and expanding his/her work competency is one's own responsibility. The competency development thus initiated by the individua1 wil1 ultimately serve as the driving force of change in the eastern part of Germany.
The German case shows how difficult it is for the government alone to lead the unification process. It is a testimony to the fact that such a major task can only be surmounted on the basis of nationwide support and enthusiasm. It is an important lesson for Korea that even the wealthy nation of Germany is suffering badly from the enormous costs of unification. It must be borne in mind that uniting the two Koreas requires meticulous planning and preparation for the great financial burden entailed in the task. It is also important to note that Germany unified in form remains not truly unified in essence, as the nation is divided between the defeatism in the East and the sense of undeserved sacrifice in the West. Perhaps the most important lesson from the German reunification is that returning to the state of one Korean nation requires the sincere acceptance of people in the North as truly members of our own nation. The emotional and psychological unification is precondition for tangible success in any policy effort, including the vocational education policies to stabilize employment in the united Korean nation.
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