Traditionally, the road to good jobs for young persons in West Germany has been the "dual system" of vocational education and training (VET), similar to apprenticeships in the United States, but practiced on a much wider scale. A large percentage of West German youth usually enter such programs after high school in order to prepare for skilled trades--indeed, for most jobs except casual labor. In recent years, however, the world-wide problem of unemployment has been making entry into the apprenticeship system much more difficult. Today, only about half of West German youth can go directly into the VET system after high school. A small number go on to universities for higher education, and some go into casual labor, but for about 20 percent of the youths, there is no easy road to good jobs. Many of these young people participate in a year of vocational training sponsored by the state as a stopgap measure, then reapply for an apprenticeship the following year. In this way, many of the youths do eventually get into the VET system, but the majority of them do not train for the jobs in which they are most interested, or even for their second choices. Although the problems in the system are a result of structural unemployment, youths tend to blame themselves for their problems in finding a place in the system; most then work harder to try again the next year. Those who fail still blame themselves rather than society. The government, schools, and private enterprise in West Germany need to work to expand the employment sector and the opportunities for young people to get into the "dual system" in order to ensure a better future for these youths and for the country. (KC)