The Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education and Training (HIBB) supervises 29 state vocational schools, offering educational programmes ranging from preparation for vocational training through to vocational training itself, as well as programmes leading to higher education entrance qualifications and continuing vocational education and training. Around 45,300 students and 2,900 teachers learn and work at these schools. 24 alternative vocational schools and educational institutions under independent/private sponsorship supplement the range of provision under HIBB’s supervision.

The educational mandate of vocational schools is to impart skills that enable young people to secure paid employment in line with their aptitudes and abilities. As part of the upper secondary level, vocational schools have their own educational mandates. Vocational training imparts general, technical, personal and social skills. Hamburg’s vocational schools provide training for more than 240 professions. They offer differentiated lessons and courses in several hundred subjects and learning fields, addressing students’ different starting points as well as the fact that most vocational training courses are influenced by economic cycles and market trends. Vocational training must be structured so as to avoid social exclusion and ensure as smooth an integration as possible into training and work.

Schools offer vocational training on both a full-time and part-time basis. Vocational training is predominantly delivered in the form of dual training, meaning that it takes place at two learning venues: in the company and at the vocational school, in cooperation with businesses or external providers. Full-time vocational schools that lead to full vocational qualification (Berufsfachschulen) and healthcare schools (Schulen des Gesundheitswesens), higher commercial schools (Höhere Handelsschulen), higher technical schools for information technology, metals technology and electrical engineering (Höhere Technikschulen für Informations-, Metall- und Elektrotechnik), vocational qualification within the Hamburg Model, pre-vocational offering dual vocational training preparation, specialised upper secondary schools (Fachoberschulen), two-year full-time vocational schools (Berufsoberschulen) and vocational grammar schools as well as trade and technical schools (Fachschulen) for continuing vocational education and training complete the offer available.

Since the 2017/2018 school year, the standard abbreviation for all vocational schools has been “BS”; previous abbreviations G, H, W and FSP are no longer used.

The school profiles provide an initial overview of educational programmes, contact details and student numbers at each vocational school. Given the wealth of special priorities, educational projects and programmes within everyday school life, we recommend visiting the homepages of individual schools.

 

School inspection reports (only available in German)

 

School inspection reports support the development of vocational schools by providing external feedback. At the same time, their controlling function helps secure the quality of the schools.
To ensure maximum transparency for students, parents and schools, short reports summarising the most recent school inspections are published.
These are provided in chronological order.
The inspection reports for individual schools can also be found under their respective school profiles.

Profiles of the vocational schools and School inspection reports (only available in German)