Equal support for apprentices and businesses!

According to the cabinet-approved Vocational Education and Training Report 2015, the number of unfilled apprenticeship placements has reached a record high in the past year. The Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) therefore recommends instruments such as 'assisted apprenticeships'.

The number of young people who sign up for an apprenticeship has declined by six per cent, DIHK Managing Director Martin Wansleben said with regret. Most recently, 80,000 apprenticeship placements have remained unfilled in the area of responsibility of the chambers of industry and commerce alone.

Wansleben emphasised that "the fields of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology especially will suffer from a skilled labour shortage of close on 1.3 million skilled professionals in 2020." This, he said, "is a really good opportunity for all those deciding in favour of an apprenticeship in these fields."

The DIHK Managing Director moreover pointed out the broad range of support measures, which people with learning difficulties can receive in the businesses: "Youths who some years ago needed several rounds in the transitional phase to improve their educational standards and fitness for an apprenticeship now find their way much faster into vocational education and training and thus into the businesses."

However, this creates also "great challenges for the training supervisors, which they should not have to face alone", Wansleben warned. He added that there are good instruments available to equally support businesses and apprentices.

The DIHK promotes in particular the programme of 'assisted apprenticeships', which the German Federal Employment Agency uses to support mainly small and medium-sized enterprises in providing vocational education and training for youths with learning difficulties. "In a first step, the provision of up to 10,000 placements is targeted for the training year 2015/2016."