What role does technology class play in Germany? According to an analysis by the German Mechanical Engineering Association (VDMA), only ten states in Germany offer technology as a separate class, and the subject is mandatory only in eight of those – and yet not at all types of schools. At Gymnasia (secondary schools leading to university), only three of 16 states offer a true technology class, but nowhere is it mandatory.

For this study, all “technology contents” from curricula of all subjects in secondary education levels 1 and 2 were recorded and analyzed based on a catalog of criteria, with the criterion “technology subject” most heavily weighted. Considering the advancement of digitalization, international competition and the skilled worker shortage, Hartmut Rauen, acting CEO of the VDMA, believes it is “unacceptable that technical education basically does not exist at the majority of schools in our tech-savvy nation. We need technology to be a mandatory subject in all types of schools.”

The study resulted in 16 state files with recommended actions for the state governments, as well as a state-by-state comparison.