BIBB / Alcohol and drug consumption by trainees and young workers

Alcohol and drug consumption by trainees and young workers

An explorative study

Ulrich Degen, Werner Gerwin, Dr. Ernst Ross

Published: December 8, 2005
URN: urn:nbn:de:0035-0164-6

Within the context of its analysis of training and occupational development, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has carried out an explorative study on the relationship between consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs and difficulties experienced in training or in the work environment.

Addiction problems continue to represent an enormous challenge to society. They bring misery to those affected and their families and are the cause of high and largely avoidable financial costs to society. Addiction problems are the root of individual tragedies, as well as being a burden to society as a whole.

When investigating addiction problems, young people and young adults are a particular problem group. This is particularly accentuated by current trends, such as binge drinking, mixing drugs in the "party scene", "designer drugs" or alcopops.

As well as health and social problems, drug consumption is the cause of a large number of other direct and indirect pressures. These include problems at work or failure at school or in training for young people.

Consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs also jeopardises the development of the supply of skilled workers required in the future. In addition to the demographic developments which have been predicted, a high quota of people dropping out of training compromises the provision of a sufficient number of up and coming skilled workers and, secondly, consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs represents a waste of the existing supply of skilled workers, which manifests itself in absenteeism, lack of job commitment, lower job performance levels and failure in examinations, dangers to health and safety and other similar occurrences.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of the topic of alcohol and drug consumption for trainees and young workers in large companies and smaller firms as well as for company experts such as owners, line managers, trainers and social advisors in order to pave the way for decisions to be taken in respect of a preventative project for the group of people affected. ⁰¹

Results

The focal point of the study was the question of whether the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs by trainees and young workers is a relevant topic which needs to be taken seriously within companies, whether there is a significant amount of consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs by young workers in companies and whether it is appropriate to adopt a more intensive approach to the phenomenon of the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs in the case of young skilled workers or within the context of training.

Results demonstrated that these key questions could be answered with an unqualified "yes".

The vast majority of experts interviewed confirmed that the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs by young workers is an important and relevant topic within companies and that the level of frequency and intensity of the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs by young workers in companies needs to be taken seriously.

Question: is consumption of alcohol or drugs by young people (aged up to 25) an issue in your company?

Question: what is your general assessment of this problem?

In addition to this, the study provided insights into the presumed level of frequency of consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs.
The highest number of those interviewed (18 of 58 responses) thought that more than ten percent of young workers consumed alcohol on a regular basis, estimates of the actual figure going as high as 70%. A similar number of interviewees (15) believe that up to ten percent of young workers are regular consumers of alcohol, significantly fewer (11) giving an estimate of up to five percent. There were also a significant number of respondents (14) who mentioned "exceptional cases".

Question: how many young people in your company do you estimate are affected by regular consumption of alcohol?

The largest number of experts estimates that regular consumption of illegal drugs only affects young people in exceptional cases. Not quite as many experts take the view that up to five percent of young workers consume illegal drugs on a regular basis, ten experts estimate the proportion to be up to ten percent and fewer than half of the experts estimate a higher figure, although estimates of up to 50 percent are made in exceptional cases. One striking result is, however, that a relatively large proportion of those interviewed does not know whether young people are consuming illegal drugs on a regular basis.

Question: how many young people in your company do you estimate are affected by regular consumption of illegal drugs?

An interesting aspect of these results is that the frequency and extent of consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs tends to be estimated lower by interviewees involved in training than by interviewees working in the area of social and health advisory services, although there are some trainers and heads of training who take a more drastic view of the situation. The statement made by one head of training represents this point of view: "Consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs is a major problem amongst trainees. Anyone who denies that does not know his trainees." The problem is, however, clearly viewed more seriously or felt more strongly by those who have the task of dealing with problem cases in the social and health advisory services field.
The study has also produced a large number of further results relating to such things as the effects of consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs on absenteeism, quality of work, health and safety and such like, to measures taken by companies and to employees who intervene in problem cases. Those interviewed were also afforded the opportunity to express their views on measures to deal with the problem. Education programmes, continuing training, seminars for line managers as well as a consistent approach to dealing with the problem better by the use of sanctions and bans were very frequently mentioned here. Last but not least, the respondents also consider, however, that it is important to offer young people a purpose in life, to open up perspectives for them, to support them and to transfer responsibility to them.
The plan is for the expert workshop scheduled for 30 November 2005 to discuss the explorative study, expound upon the findings and add new knowledge via expert articles.
Academic documentation is planned in which the results of this workshop will be collated.

Results were summarised for Internet publication. U. Degen (AB 2.4) und W. Gerwin (AB 3.2) are available to answer any queries.

Selected BIBB publications on this subject:

Althoff, Heinrich
Vorzeitige Lösung von Lehrverträgen und Ausbildungsabbruch
(Premature termination of training contracts and dropping out of training)
Problemaufriss und Untersuchung der methodisch-statistischen Grundlagen
(An outline of the problem and an investigation of the fundamental methodological and statistical principles)
In Forschung Spezial (Special Research) Issue 4

footnotes:

⁰¹ Within the scope of this study, a total of 78 persons were interviewed. Methods used were: guided telephone interviews (14), standardised computer aided telephone interviews (CATI) (33), a standardised online and postal survey (25) and intensive interviews (6).

Erscheinungsdatum und Hinweis Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

Publication on the Internet: December 8, 2005

URN: urn:nbn:de:0035-0164-6

Die Deutsche Bibliothek has archived the electronic publication "Alcohol and drug consumption by trainees and young workers", which is now permanently available on the archive server of Die Deutsche Bibliothek.

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