. The DGB was a combined federal union which represented eight trade unions on various critical elements of labour or society to the government. The DGB represented 6 million workers from different sectors, with 2 million from industries, 1.2 from the public sector, 800 000 from chemical industries and the balance from other small sectors of the economy. . The core mandate of the DGB was to critically engage on issues of a minimum wage for all workers in various sectors, the economic crisis of the eurozone, and ecological issues. . The training of apprentices was conducted at the workplace and in school. However, students spent most of their time doing practical work in companies rather than in schools. There were currently 350 training occupations recognized by the state. . The vocational education and training system had approximately 1.6 million trainees, 39% were women, and the entire education system had 2.3 million students. There were 2 million companies in Germany, of which 402 000 (25%) provided artisan training. . The union's main approach in assisting workers was to encourage them to participate in training programmes so that they could improve their qualifications and thus access the labour market. The high unemployment rate among young people in the country was owing to the fact that they were unqualified. . The Vocational Education and Training Act of 1969 was the main legislation which regulated the vocational education system. . The dual education system had three different approaches, namely, employers paid for the training programmes, trainees obtained a stipend average of 630 euros, and trainees were absorbed by the employer upon completion of their programme. . The normal duration of the training programme took three years to complete. After that, trainees had the choice to either work or enroll in higher education. . The unions played a very critical role in the development of vocational education and training. All the proposals for new training programmes were developed in consultation with employers and unions.