The contemporary relevance of the German philosopher of vocational education, Georg Kerschensteiner, is first indicated in general terms in relation to current debates and policies. Kerschensteiner's main ideas are then outlined. There is a discussion of his relationship with progressivism, his ideas about learning and the importance of practical activity. His ideas about the nature of work and the relationship between work and paid unemployment are then considered. Kerschensteiner was particularly concerned with the role of work in promoting the development of character through the "bourgeois virtues" concerned with the work and the "civic virtues" concerned with the relationship between work and the broader society. His views on character formation are related to this discussion of civic education. Kerschensteiner's innovations to schooling in Munich are then described in relation to his philosophical outlook and finally his views on the German tradition of liberal education or "Bildung" and how these relate to vocational education are outlined.