Berlin After the slump in the first year of the pandemic, the situation on the training market improved only marginally in 2021. The pre-crisis level is still a long way off. A total of 473,100 new training contracts had been concluded by September 30, 2021. That is 5,600 more than in 2020 – but 52,000 less than in 2019, announced the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, the expected recovery did not occur to the extent hoped for this year,” said BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser. Instead, it is clearly noticeable “that the uncertainty among companies and young people due to the corona pandemic is still high in 2021”.
Although the number of apprenticeship positions has increased by 8,800 compared to 2020, there were still more than 40,000 fewer apprenticeships available than in 2019. The demand from young people for dual vocational training has even fallen to its lowest level since 1992, when data for the reunified Germany was available for the first time. Accordingly, the number of inquiries fell again by 4800 to 540,900 in 2021.
The new Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) spoke of a “small glimmer of hope”. The aim, however, is to bring significantly more young people into training, because “every young person who remains without training is one too many”. She expressed her “concern that companies continue to report difficulties in filling their training positions”.
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In order to make training more attractive, the Federal Government wants to launch an excellence initiative “Vocational Education”, set up a pact to strengthen and modernize vocational schools and expand vocational orientation across the board.
BIBB boss Esser is also concerned: The falling demand is “clear evidence” that the interest of young people and young adults in dual vocational training is continuing to decline. “Where there are no trainees today, there will be a shortage of skilled workers tomorrow”, which is why “securing the need for skilled workers will be one of the greatest challenges of this decade”, which the economy can only master with strong dual vocational training.
BIBB reports 63,200 vacant apprenticeship positions
The number of vacant training positions even reached a new record level of 63,200 places. The BIBB warns that the main challenge in the training market is to bring young people and companies together better.
The share of vacant apprenticeship positions in the total offer of companies has increased further and is now more than twelve percent. However, there are huge differences between professions and regions.
The DGB vice-chairman Elke Hannack told the Handelsblatt: “Greater efforts are needed so that the gentle recovery does not remain a flash in the pan.” The way to normalization is still very long. In the slight plus in the new contracts, she sees “no reason to breathe a sigh of relief. After the historic decline in 2020, the pre-crisis level is still far from being reached ”.
The new federal government must therefore quickly get its plan to guarantee training on the way and “anchor legal entitlement for all young people up to 25 years in SGB III”. The law on employment promotion is regulated in Book III of the Social Code. The DGB also demands that the private sector contribute to the financing through a future fund. “Companies are desperately looking for skilled workers. It is high time to tap the full potential, ”said Hannack.
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In 2021, only 67 percent of those interested ended up in in-company training, and almost 68,000 applicants were left empty-handed. “These young people deserve real prospects,” says Hannack. Even before the crisis, people with a secondary school leaving certificate would have major problems finding a training position.
Skilled trades president Hans Peter Wollseifer assumes that “many young people are still unsettled by the pandemic situation and therefore often choose the further school path and shy away from entering professional life”.
From the point of view of the skilled trades this is “fatal” because the ambitious political goals in the digital and ecological transformation, such as energetic building renovation, smart building control and the expansion of electromobility, “can only be implemented with a sufficient number of professionally qualified tradesmen and women “Warned Wollseifer.
The accents in the coalition agreement are important, “but must now be quickly filled with life”. It must have “the highest priority for all government parties to strengthen vocational training,” said the craftsman president.
More: The shortage of skilled workers is virulent even during the pandemic – the material shortages do not change that