Zypries: "Off to a great start with good training"

2017 was and is a good year to start company-based training. According to the latest training market figures published by the Federal Employment Agency (BA), by September there were 0.5 per cent more training positions registered than in the previous year. The number of applicants registered with the BA has remained stable compared to the previous year.

Brigitte Zypries, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, is convinced: "Germany needs skilled workers. To remain innovative and competitive, we need smart people. And obviously, we need both men and women. The potential is there - today's young people are well trained. Good training means young people can get off to a really great start. However trainees and trainers must be flexible. Your dream job is not always just around the corner. And employers must make trainees aware of potential future prospects and also show trainees what they have to offer."

The skilled workers of the future are in greater demand than ever before. Many sectors and quite a number of companies are still searching for motivated applicants. 48,937 vacant trainee positions is evidence of this. Young people who have not yet found a position in their dream job or close to home should make use of these opportunities.

As in previous years, the issue of matching is the major challenge in the labour market. For this reason, partners in the Alliance for Initial and Continuing Education and Training - which operates under the umbrella of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) - have set about further improving the way in which training companies and young people come together.