Voir Dan Rather Reports, Season 8 - Episode 7

(2/26/2013) It seems impossible to believe that in a country with 12 million people looking for work, there are nearly 3.7 million open jobs in America right now. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a large chunk of those unfilled jobs are in the manufacturing sector – some of the best paid vacancies out there. However, these jobs require technical training, training that is currently lacking in this country’s schools. President Obama, in his recent State of the Union address, called out Germany as an example of a system that focuses on preparing their high school students for jobs in the manufacturing sector. To find out the secret to Germany's low youth unemployment and thriving economy, "Dan Rather Reports" traveled across southern Germany, spending time at BMW, the Tognum company and interviewing a number of German teachers and schoolchildren. What we found is a system that is controversial, but -- to German employers and educators -- very effective. Youth unemployment is at 8%, compared to 18% in the U.S. Its high-school dropout rate is a mere 7%…compared to 25% in the U.S.