Auszubildende an einer Werkzeugmaschine
Foto: Rupert Oberhaeuser / ddp
The complaint about lazy apprentices is almost part of folklore. However, the situation does not seem to be so dramatic. In a survey of 472 human resources managers from training companies conducted by the Institute for Economic Research (Ifo) in collaboration with Randstad, 63 percent stated that they are satisfied with their apprentices. Another 18 percent attested to their „excellent quality“.
Only 17 percent found it „less good,“ with just two percent complaining about inadequate performance. The trade sector in particular frequently complained about poor apprentices: 31.6 percent of HR managers selected the responses „less good“ and „inadequate.“
Schönheit und Größenwahn
Den weiß-blauen Himmel über Schloss Neuschwanstein, den hat die CSU gemacht, oder etwa nicht? In Bayern wird in einem Monat gewählt, da häufen sich die Lobpreisungen der Regierenden auf ihren Freistaat. Aber passen sie noch zur Realität? Eine Erkundungstour durch den Süden der Republik.
Bitte lesen Sie unsere Titelgeschichte, zusätzliche Hintergründe und Analysen auf der digitalen Plattform des SPIEGEL.
Zur Ausgabe
Aber immer schlechtere Bewerber
Despite the relatively positive numbers, it seems that there is still reason to complain: 71 percent of all respondents stated that the quality of their job applicants‘ education has deteriorated in the past five years, and nearly a quarter cannot perceive any significant change.
According to the survey, 19 percent of the surveyed training companies do not offer any new positions this year. In the retail sector, it is even 35 percent.
In August, the Federal Statistical Office released figures showing that in Germany, relatively few young people started an apprenticeship last year. Although the number of new contracts in dual vocational training increased by a minimal 0.8 percent to 469,900 compared to the previous year, the level remains „historically low“.
Kollegenstreiche zur Azubi-Begrüßung
Before the coronavirus crisis, a significantly higher number of young men and women had started vocational training: over 500,000 new contracts were registered in 2019. However, even back then, the number of apprentices was already declining: in 2012, there were still 544,400.
The ranking of the most popular vocational training occupations hardly changed in 2022: The majority of new qualifications were in the profession of retail salesperson (22,800), followed by office management clerks (22,500), automotive mechatronics technicians (20,700), salespersons (20,600), and IT specialists (17,600). Also in 2022, about one-fifth (22 percent) of all new contracts were allocated to these five areas of training.
Mit Material von Reuters