Attractive career path

Increasing numbers of young people are training in a skilled crafts business. 135,038 new training contracts were concluded this year. According to information from the Central Association of Skilled Crafts (ZDH), in the current year almost 4,000 more young people than in the previous year started their training in the skilled crafts.

However the information suggests that many companies continue to face difficulties in finding new workers. According to the ZDH, 18,963 training positions across Germany remain vacant - mainly in the electrical, plumbing and heating and hairdressing trades. It is apparently particularly difficult for skilled craft businesses to attract new trainees in the federal states in eastern Germany.

In the view of the President of the ZDH, Hans Peter Wollseifer, the increase in new training contracts represents the strengthening of a trend which had already become evident over the two previous years. He explains that increasing numbers of young people are selecting vocational education and training and opting for the opportunities for continuing training in the skilled crafts as an attractive career path.

The trends in increasing training numbers has stabilized and become established. He adds that drawing attention over recent years to the possibilities and opportunities in more than 130 training occupations in the skilled crafts has paid off.
The federal states of former West Germany accounted for the majority of growth in new contracts according to the information. Here 3,444 new training contracts were concluded—an increase of 3 per cent. The figure for growth in the new federal states of the former East was 2.3 per cent (+413).

"This encourages us and represents a success in light of falling numbers of school pupils and a clear social trend towards the university entrance qualification—this success however is no cause for complacency," explains the ZDH president.

He commented that the number of vacant trainee positions in western Germany fell compared to the previous year at the end of September by 5.2 per cent to 14,413. By contrast, 4,515 vacant training positions in eastern German skilled craft businesses means there are significantly more positions remaining unfilled than at this time in the previous year (an increase of 12.4 per cent).