Print version Recommend this page Press release
29/ 2008
Bonn, 09.07.2008
BIBB survey - Training bonus for unplaced applicants from previous years draws subdued response from firms
Even when adequate financial assistance is provided, half of all enterprises cannot envision making additional training places available to youths who have been seeking a training place without success for at least one year. According to the findings of a representative company survey conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training on the subject of training bonuses in the spring of 2008, only one out of every six firms would consider this option. This bonus consists of financial government assistance of up to € 6,000 for firms which, starting 1 August, create an additional training place for an unplaced training applicant from a previous placement year. Some 2,400 enterprises took part in the BIBB-AusbildungsMonitor (BIBB Vocational Training Monitor), a regular online-survey of personnel and training managers. The results of the spring survey have now been published in the latest issue of BIBB REPORT (No. 5/08).
Willingness seen primarily at firms that provide in-company vocational training
Marked differences in the assessment of the training bonus exist between firms that provide in-company vocational training and firms that do not. For two out of every three 'non-training firms', the training bonus does not provide any incentive to offer corresponding training places. By contrast, one out of every four 'training firms' could imagine increasing the number of training places they offer by an average of 20% as a result of the training bonus. Only one out of every ten firms that has no plans to provide training in the coming training year would consider this new option.
Interest diminishes as skill needs increase
At firms with greater skill needs, the bonus will probably generate only a few additional training places for unplaced applicants who have been carried over from previous years. The willingness to offer additional training places to unplaced applicants from previous years declined by up to 9% in those cases where firms had already signed training agreements as of March 2008 with middle school leavers or students with qualification to enter university. By contrast, an above-average number of firms that had signed training agreements with lower secondary school leavers - 47% - would be willing to take on additional youths who are "disadvantaged in the marketplace". Up to 27% of the firms which, as of March, had not yet signed training agreements with youths were interested in the bonus.
Skilled labour requirements foster willingness to use the training bonus
A company's willingness to create additional training places for unplaced applicants from previous years increases in tandem with its manpower needs. One out of every four companies that plan to be hiring new employees in the next two years also wants to offer additional training places. This is particularly the case for firms where positions for individuals with formal vocational qualifications are to be filled with qualified workers in tandem with unskilled or semi-skilled workers. On the other hand, less than 1% of the companies that report they don't need additional employees can imagine generating additional training places.
Large enterprises tend not to be interested in the training bonus
Compared to larger medium-sized firms and big corporations, companies with less than 50 employees are much more willing (by a factor of 2.7) to offer additional training for unplaced applicants from previous years. As a result, the bonus could bring about an increase in the amount of training offered by smaller enterprises - which has steadily declined in past years.
Assessments vary between branches
The training bonus meets with interest particularly in the service sector. This could lead to a further adjustment of the 'dual' vocational training system (which combines part-time vocational training with practical work experience) to reflect Germany's development in the direction of a service society. Looking at a breakdown by sector, an above-average willingness to accept unplaced applicants from past years is particularly evident in the areas Transport, Storage and Communication; Hotels and Restaurants; Health Work; and other services (such as the waste management, cleaning, personal hygiene branches) - in addition to the consumer goods and producer goods industries. The level of rejection for the training bonus is particularly high among firms in the Financial Intermediation and Insurance and Pension Funding sectors and bodies in the Public Administration sector.
The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training plans to conduct a second survey at the end of the year as part of the BIBB-AusbildungsMonitor. This survey will examine whether and how firms have actually used the training bonus for unplaced applicants from previous years.
Detailed information in German is available in Issue 5/08 of BIBB REPORT. The latest issue can be downloaded free of charge at www.bibb.de/bibbreport on the BIBB homepage.
