This specialist article presents compensation for disadvantages in vocational education and training as a key factor in the inclusion of people with disabilities and the qualification of skilled workers. Fundamental explanations on the legal anchoring of the entitlement to compensation for disadvantages in the German Basic Law, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Vocational Training Act and the Crafts Code focus on the responsible bodies in vocational education and training as key players. Selected results of a current BIBB project on the implementation of the Vocational Training Act's provisions on compensation for disadvantages in vocational training practice and the conclusions and recommendations for action for vocational training policy and practice derived from this will be presented.