How can I acquire a trainee? Four ideas from East Germany

The times in which companies were able to select their next apprentices from a seemingly never-ending flood of applicants are in the past. This is all due to demographic developments – the fact that there are fewer young people means that there are fewer up-and-coming skilled workers. Many companies are finding it increasingly difficult to fill their training places, particularly in the East. It is not rare for places to remain vacant. What can be done to counter this shortage of trainees? Four examples.

Companies offer extras to entice apprentices

Many firms in Brandenburg are seeking to gain the loyalty of their trainees by offering perks such as a free IT course, a company gym, or stays abroad. According to the Cottbus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, more and more companies are introducing incentives of this nature. The Spreewald Thermal Baths Centre in Burg, for example, gives out petrol vouchers to its trainees in order to encourage young people to enter training in a rural region.

The company Schelchen GmbH in Königs Wusterhausen, which manufactures shoe inlays and shoe care products, provides voluntary workshops for apprentices about to start training. Trainees learn about issues such as conflict management and how to work as a team. Head of Human Resources Sabine Timm says that take-up is very good.

Encouraging young foreign nationals to enter an apprenticeship

In Saxony, there are fewer people of working age and more vacancies. The Employment Agency believes that this trend can only be countered by immigration. Otherwise, experts estimate that companies may be experiencing a shortage of several hundred thousand workers in ten years' time. All areas of potential need to be exploited in order to plug the gap.

For this reason, companies in Saxony are increasingly trying to recruit foreign trainees. Companies are specifically seeking trainee nurses in Vietnam, and young Spaniards looking for employment prospects are also being taken on. One initial effect is visible. For the first time in five years, the number of apprentices in the state is rising once more.

In 2015, there were just over 400 apprentices more than in the previous year. This was mainly due to an increase in the influx of trainees from Vietnam, Spain and the Ukraine.

Placement of disadvantaged young People

Although there are more and more vacant apprenticeship places, there are also applicants who remain unsuccessful. Saxony-Anhalt has introduced the "Future chance assisted Training" programme in order to give any opportunity to young people who are particularly difficult to place.

The state's Ministry of Social Affairs reported that this scheme is targeted at those with learning or behavioural difficulties as well as at applicants who are carers or who have dropped out of training on more than one occasion. Trainees are supported by social education workers and also receive remedial teaching, particular steps are taken to make companies aware of the situation, and help is at hand should problems arise.

There are currently 235 places on the programme. According to the ministry, three quarters of these have been filled. Funding of €12 million is available up until 2021. The scheme is financed by the federal state itself, the European Union and the Federal Employment Agency. The chambers of crafts and trades are also involved, and try to persuade companies still seeking trainees to give a chance to young people who present difficult cases.

Career opportunities for young people via a University of Cooperative Education

Thuringia is making a virtue out of necessity. Because many young people are by-passing company training by simply progressing directly from upper secondary school to an institute of higher education, the federal state is now offering an alternative. A University of Cooperative Education has been set up in Gera and Eisenach with the aim of giving young people career opportunities whilst maintaining their loyalty to the regional economy.

Since its foundation in 1998, the University of Cooperative Education has been fostering young talent by providing a highly practical course of study. At the same time, students are employed by a company which pays them a monthly allowance. They also complete practical phases of training at the firm to which they are attached. The plan is for the University of Cooperative Education to become an institute of higher education n September and for student numbers to rise from their present level of 1,200 to 1,500.