In April 2025, the Standing Scientific Commission (SWK) of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairspublished a report on the competencies needed to ensure a successful transition from lower secondary education to vocational training . The report outlines subject-specific and cross-curricular goals that young people should achieve by the end of lower secondary education so that they are well prepared for the transition to initial vocational training. These objectives relate to: basic and functional competencies for continued learning in school (German, mathematics, natural sciences, English, and digital literacy), self-regulated learning, identity development, and career orientation. To achieve these goals, the report makes a total of 29 recommendations to facilitate young people’s transition to vocational training:

Language Skills for Education

• Recommendation 1: Identify basic and essential functional competencies for German as the language of instruction
• Recommendation 2: Further develop German language instruction in a targeted manner to ensure broader attainment of basic and essential functional competencies
• Recommendation 3: Enhance transparency regarding the attainment of basic and essential functional educational language competencies
• Recommendation 4: Professionalize the teaching of basic and essential functional educational language skills

Mathematical Competencies

• Recommendation 5: Identify the essential functional competencies for mathematics and the basic competencies as their prerequisite
• Recommendation 6: Further develop mathematics instruction specifically to ensure broader attainment of basic and essential functional competencies
• Recommendation 7: Enhance transparency regarding the attainment of basic and essential functional mathematical competencies
• Recommendation 8: Professionalize all stakeholder groups to effectively teach basic and essential functional mathematical competencies

Science Competencies

• Recommendation 9: Identify essential functional science competencies
• Recommendation 10: Further develop science instruction in a targeted manner to ensure broader attainment of essential functional competencies
• Recommendation 11: Enhance professional development to effectively teach essential functional science competencies

English Competencies

• Recommendation 12: Identify essential functional competencies for English as a foreign language
• Recommendation 13: Continue to conduct English instruction in a targeted manner to achieve essential functional competencies
• Recommendation 14: Strengthen the focus on achieving essential functional English competencies
• Recommendation 15: Professionalize all relevant stakeholder groups to effectively teach essential functional English competencies

Digital Literacy

• Recommendation 16: Define and identify the essential functional competencies for digital literacy
• Recommendation 17: Further develop both Computer Science and instruction in all subjects in a targeted manner to achieve the essential functional digital competencies on a broader scale
• Recommendation 18: Enhance transparency regarding the level of digital literacy achieved
• Recommendation 19: Professionalize all stakeholder groups to effectively teach the functional skills essential for digital literacy

Self-Regulated Learning

• Recommendation 20: Create opportunities in the classroom for students to acquire learning strategies
• Recommendation 21: Implement self-regulated learning, cognitive, and metacognitive learning strategies as mandatory topics in the first and second phases of teacher education

Identity Development

• Recommendation 22: Initiate or systematically further develop internal school development that creates the framework conditions for fostering positive, school-related, and cross-group identities
• Recommendation 23: Firmly anchor the developmental and social-psychological foundations of identity formation in the educational science curriculum of the first and second phases of teacher education

Career Guidance

• Recommendation 24: Expand support structures for schools to develop quality-assured career guidance
• Recommendation 25: Embed career guidance measures as an integral part of school and quality development at all levels (organization, instruction, staff)
• Recommendation 26: Professionalize teachers and school administrators in the area of career guidance

Subject-Specific and Interdisciplinary Competencies in the Transition Sector

• Recommendation 27: Further develop the structure of transition management and the programs offered in the transition sector
• Recommendation 28: Strengthen the acquisition of basic and functional mathematical, linguistic, and other fundamental career-relevant competencies
• Recommendation 29: Develop meaningful success indicators for the transition sector and establish corresponding reporting systems to guide educational efforts in schools within the transition sector