Only one high-income region has done a reasonably good job of preparing its youth, and its overall economy, for tough global competition: Northern Europe, including Germany and Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). In these countries, public education is excellent, and the transition from school to work often involves programs like the apprenticeships for which Germany is especially famous.
只有一个高收入地区为其年轻人和经济做出了相对完善的安排：北欧，包括德国以及丹麦、芬兰，挪威和瑞典这四个斯堪的纳维亚半岛国家。这些国家的公共教育素质极高，而青年人在由学生向职场专业人士转变的过程中经常能参与一些实习课程，在这方面德国尤其有名。