Maybe I can add that it is no longer the case that if you do not have a school-leaving exam that you will have to become an apprentice. The system is so well recognized now and so valued that even people who have the highest school leaving exam choose this vocational training to learn a trade, because it opens up a whole array of paths until the so-called master certificate. They can make just about as much money as somebody who went to university.
On February 5th, 2013. See this statement in context.