Record-breaking surge in apprenticeships observed nationwide
Revamped Take:
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on Germany's apprenticeship scene, with over 4 out of 10 businesses struggling to fill all apprenticeship positions last year, according to Achim Dercks, deputy CEO of DIHK. Alarmingly, over a third of these companies received zero applications.
This disheartening trend has escalated from 32% in 2018 to 42% in 2021, with the hospitality sector and transport & logistics sectors experiencing particularly sharp increases. Only the business-oriented services sector remains unchanged at 26%.
The primary reason for this surge in unfilled apprenticeships? A lack of applicants, cited by 36% of companies last year compared to 30% in 2018. Dercks believes the growing gap is due in part to pandemic-related restrictions, which have made career exploration, guidance, and job hunting more challenging. Career counselors from job agencies no longer make school visits, and training fairs and internships have been cancelled.
To combat this problem, 75% of training companies are eager to increase their efforts in career guidance. They plan to expand school internships, host events, and fortify digital information offerings in the future, demonstrating a aggressive courting of the next generation of talent.
In broader terms, the pandemic has stirred the adoption of digital technologies across sectors in Germany, which may pave the way for companies and educational institutions to develop or utilize platforms supporting career guidance and vocational training.
It's worth noting that research and development in the field of vocational training, as well as collaborative efforts between German and American experts, may lead to the development or adoption of digital solutions globally, addressing gaps in career orientation.
Insights:
- The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has been involved in various efforts to support vocational training, though specific digital formats are not mentioned.
- There's a need for improving digital literacy among young people, which could be addressed by digital educational resources supporting career orientation.
- The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies across various sectors, suggesting a potential for digital platforms supporting career guidance and vocational training.
- International collaboration between German and American experts on vocational education indicates the potential for developing or adopting digital solutions globally to address career orientation gaps.
- To address the underrepresentation of applicants in apprenticeships, businesses might consider collaborating with educational institutions to implement digital educational resources that align with finance, business, and education-and-self-development for improved career orientation, as digital literacy among young people is crucial.
- The growing adoption of digital technologies in Germany across multiple sectors presents an opportunity for finance, business, and education-and-self-development sectors to create innovative digital platforms that can support career guidance, potentially filling the gap of unfilled apprenticeship positions and providing a more comprehensive learning experience for students.
