Print version Recommend this page Press release
03/ 2010
Bonn, 09.02.2010
Training contracts 2009: a few occupations dominate
An analysis of newly concluded training contracts for 2009, conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and published in the specialist BIBB journal "Vocational Training in Research and Practice" (BWP, Issue 1/2010), reveals that although there are currently 349 training occupations within the dual system running the whole gamut of professions from A to Z, training contracts have been concentrated in a few occupations for a number of years. This was a trend which continued in 2009, when three quarters of all new training contracts (a total of 566,044) were concluded in only 44 occupations, a mere 12% of the whole spectrum. This concentration on a small number of occupations is particularly marked in the case of young women.
Motor vehicle mechatronics fitter the most popular occupation amongst male trainees
If we consider newly concluded training contracts for young men, the picture which emerges is similar to the overall distribution. Seven occupations make up 25% of all contracts entered into, and 42 occupations account for three quarters of training. There is a strong tendency for male trainees to select commercial occupations within the craft trades sector. Around two thirds of newly concluded contracts for young men are in so-called production occupations. One third of training contracts are concluded in the services sector. The most popular occupation is motor vehicle mechatronics fitter (17,597 new contracts), followed by management assistant for retail services, (13,524), industrial mechanic (13,136) and cook (11,724). It is noticeable that the "Top 25" occupations entered by male trainees include 13 occupations which are more than 90% occupied by young men only. Twelve of these 13 occupations are from the production sector.
Training for young women dominated by the service sector
The concentration is even more marked in the case of young women. Only four occupations make up one quarter of all new training contracts, and a mere 23 occupations account for three quarters of all contracts. The number one occupation for female trainees is management assistant for retail services (17,733 new contracts), followed by sales assistant for retail services (16,989), office management clerk (15,345) and medical assistant (14,121).
95% of all training contracts concluded in the "Top 25" occupations entered by female trainees are in the service sector. To put it another way, of the top 25 occupations in which most female trainees conclude training contracts no fewer than 21 are service sector occupations. Only a single occupation featuring training content of a more technical nature appears in the "hit list" for young women, designer of digital and print media in 21st position. Young women continue to be under-represented in the technical occupations.
For more information, please consult the latest issue of the (German language) specialist BIBB journal "Vocational Training in Research and Practice" (BWP) at www.bwp-zeitschrift.de, where an article providing two summaries of the most popular occupations (newly concluded contracts 2009) - differentiated according to male and female trainees - is available for download free of charge.
For a (German language) interpretation of the importance of the image of an occupation as a selection criterion for young people, please also visit www.bibb.de/bwp/image.
An English language summary of all training occupations is provided at www.bibb.de/en/26171.htm.
Reprint free of charge - voucher copy requested.
