he has an apprenticeship at seimans, the high-tech energy giant. the company gives him three years of paid training, a guaranteed job offer, plus he attends a vocational school. >> we know that we can work afterwards here and have a job and a fixed job. >> reporter: seimans isn't the only german company offering this sweet deal. businesses in almost every industry offer paid training, and in most case, a full-time job, while the government provides a free vocational education. almost two-thirds of germany's young people take part in apprenticeships. >> it ranges from hair dresser training to, you know, running a nuclear power plant. >> reporter: semen's peter solmon says his company is training around 10,000 apprentices in germany. there is a hefty price tag for each training, over $120,000. that's major investment. >> it is. >> and you think you get a return on it? >> we know we do. >> and other companies in germany do similar things? >> this is not forced upon us. we believe it's a good business model. and i think that germany's success as an exp

. >> seimans says his company is training 10,000 apprentices in germany. there is a hefty price tag for each trainee. over $120,000. >> that's a major investment. >> yeah. >> you think you get a return? >> we know we do. >> and other companies in germany do the same thing? >> this is not forced upon us. we think it's a good model. germany's success has been nothing short of remarkable. the country enacted reforms and cut costs and went through a painful period of restructuring. in 2005, unemployment peaked at 11%, much higher than the united states. but the changes made germany much more competitive. manufacturing exports started soaring, and during the global recession, unemployment actually went down in germany while everybody else's went up. germany's apprentice system providing a wealth of high-skilled workers had a lot to do with that success. apprentices get a crash course in manufacturing, and also work on their own projects. they can even get a bachelors degree. >> there's a sense in the united states that the train something a lid on a kid's caree