After passing through a period of relative crisis in the first half of the 1980s, by the end of the decade the ‘dual system’ appeared once again capable of providing Germany with the highly skilled work force it needed to meet the challenges of the twenty‐first century. This paper reviews the changing nature of apprenticeships and apprentices that has taken place over the last decade and the responses of government, the training authorities and employers to the sharp decline in the number of young people entering the labour market in recent years. Particular attention is given to the process of reforming and updating training regulations — a major concern of the parties involved in training over the last two decades. Finally, the paper suggests that unification of the two Germanies makes the future of the youth labour market and the labour market for skilled workers very unclear. © 1991 Blackwell Publishing Ltd / London School of Economics
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