In February 2020, the U.S. and German government renewed their Joint Declaration of Intent, which was first issued on June 2015. The Joint Declaration of Intent is the basis and guideline for a German-American collaboration on innovative training programs. The U.S. Departments of Commerce, Labor and Education and the German Federal Ministries for Education and Research (BMBF), Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) and Economy and Energy (BMWi) signed the Joint Declaration of Intent in Washington D.C. It states that both countries share their best practices on work-based learning. Both governments want to support each other in pursuing several goals:
- Continue and strengthen the transatlantic dialogue
- Support companies in securing their need for skilled workers
- Promote transatlantic exchange programs

Join DIAG USA for a discussion and dinner with Doris Barnett, former Member of the German Bundestag until September 2021, who is a leading force of the Skills Initiative of the German government, an effort that promotes best practices for sustainable workforce development in the U.S. The event will focus on how the U.S. and Germany can tackle the skills gap - a problem that both countries are facing and how we can share best practices and learn from each other by developing apprenticeship programs that offer the opportunity for workers to learn a career on-the-job through work-based learning and mentoring with supplemental classroom training.

Please note: Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result is required to attend.