An Alternative Way to Tertiary Education. West Germany's Fachoberschule.

The article focuses on the pattern of further education in West Germany. It is a combination of full-time and part-time study. Both further and vocation education have always been held to be of great importance, particularly in the craft field which has its origins in the medieval guild system. Fachoberschule is one particular form of further education institution. The fields they cover are commerce/economics, technical subjects, domestic science and social work. The basic entry qualification to the Fachoberschule is the intermediate secondary leaving certificate. The structure of the Fachoberschule, the subjects that the students learn, length of courses and the interplay of practical training and study at college are summarized.