How the Bauhaus links Germany and Israel to this day
Germany and Israel are working together to preserve Bauhaus architecture – and exchanging apprentices in construction occupations too.
I wanted to learn about new materials and techniques, to see interesting buildings and to get to know a different culture. And my expectations were more than fulfilled!” enthuses Atar Mandel. In October the 28-year-old budding architecture and design trainee joined 17 other Israelis training in construction occupations to spend three weeks in Berlin. There she took part in a course on the topic of colour design and processing held at the training centre of the Chamber of Crafts in Berlin. The Chamber organises the current exchange together with Germany’s National Agency “Education for Europe”, part of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB).
The up-and-coming “practical engineers” from Israel were able to attend courses in drywall installation or wall cladding. They were also given an idea of day-to-day life on German construction sites in the form of one-week internships. Six Berlin-based businesses declared themselves willing to take on trainees from Israel. “The companies were sceptical at first, because their trainers had to speak English with the interns,” comments Henning Paulmann from the Berlin Chamber of Crafts. “But fortunately, when it comes to the trades, you can often make yourself understood with gestures. We received very positive feedback from the companies.” Alongside the courses and internships, a cultural programme was also provided for the young Israelis. It included an examination of the Bauhaus, along with an excursion to Dessau which, alongside Weimar, is the location of the German Bauhaus sites that were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
The German-Israeli programme for cooperation in vocational training is a collaboration between Israel’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Its beginnings stretch back to 1969 when German bursaries were awarded to Israeli craftsmen. These were later followed by specialist information trips for training experts on both sides, as well as joint conferences and seminars. Since 1999, German and Israeli experts have been developing joint concepts and materials for vocational training in project teams. In 2012 the apprentice exchange was introduced, with a different occupational focus each year. “Both sides can learn from one another, because work processes, safety procedures, tools and materials are different,” says the Project Manager in charge at the BIBB, Monique Nijsten. “However, it’s also about experiencing the everyday reality in each country in order to develop a better understanding for one another.”
Dual education in Germany largely takes place in the form of apprenticeships in companies, which act as the employers. In Israel on the other hand, students train at academies and technical colleges. Just how great the other differences are in each individual industry is being revealed in the current apprentice exchange. In Germany, for example, there are a full 12 construction occupations, whilst in Israel there is not such a great distinction between the individual trades. Since, in Germany, interior design is a degree course and not an apprenticeship, Atar Mandel was not able to do an internship at a Berlin company. However, this didn’t dampen her enthusiasm: “It was a great experience, and I’ll take a lot of new ideas home with me.”
For the participants from Berlin, who will travel to Israel in March 2016, the programme is yet to be confirmed, but the German trainees can no doubt look forward to a chance to work on the building sites of the White City in Tel Aviv.
