In order to meet general educational objectives, all curricula include a common curriculum architecture which is adjusted to the type of educational provision and area specialisation. This curriculum architecture comprises the areas of general education, occupation-related theory, and occupation-related practice. Scientific knowledge and IT skills are taught both fundamentally and occupation-specifically in accordance with the requirements of the respective subject area. Taking into account the qualifications and licenses which entitle their graduates to exercise specific occupations as entrepreneurs according to the curricula, the schools and colleges for engineering, arts and crafts teach legal, business-related and entrepreneurial competences to the appropriate level. 

The underlying principles for all subjects are practice-orientation and topicality of content.  Apart from the workshops, construction exercises and exercises in different laboratories, mandatory work-placements as well as projects and diploma works conducted in collaboration with business partners constitute the additional elements of specialist training.

Mandatory work-placements are of differing length: in the 5-year VET colleges they last for 8 weeks; in VET schools they last for 4 weeks in general; in the so-called "VET schools with work placement" an additional work-placement of 12 weeks is compulsory in the final school year. (Download: Guidelines "Mandatory work-placement")