Print version Recommend this page Press release
33/ 2010
Bonn, 30.07.2010
Training places market 2010: BIBB President Kremer believes "chances for young people this year are better than in previous years"
"The chances that young people will find a training place are better this year than in previous years, particularly in the East of Germany", says the President of the Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) Manfred Kremer, speaking on the occasion of the commencement of the new training year on 1 August 2010. "Data published yesterday by the Federal Employment Agency show that the economy is moving upwards again. The recovery on the labour market and the decrease in the number of applicants caused by demographic developments are also beginning to have a positive effect on the training places market." Notwithstanding this, Manfred Kremer believes that there is no reason for any kind of complacency. "This year will also see young people once again failing to secure a training place because of the mismatch in supply and demand which exists in certain regions and branches". He also stated that solutions for structural problems needed to be identified in order to counter such problems as the frequently lengthy transitions form school to training and employment and the fact that young people continue to display a lack of apprenticeship entry maturity.
"The training places market is in a state of flux. Trainees are becoming thin on the ground." In the light of this development, Manfred Kremer is appealing to companies also to give a fair chance to young people with lower levels of qualification. "Our studies show that the talents of some young people are not unfurled until they leave general forms of schooling and that such young people are particularly motivated to demonstrate their potential once they enter in-company practice where professional guidance is available to them." Kremer is of the view that the best means of combating the impending shortage of skilled workers is company-based training, which he also sees as a "worthwhile investment" for the companies themselves as borne out by BIBB investigations. He is also convinced that the ongoing changes on the training places market mean that the companies have no option other than to rethink their recruitment strategies and open themselves up to new target groups amongst the young people. "This particularly applies to the increasing number of young people from a migrant background." Manfred Kremer believes that this is an area of untapped potential which needs to be utilised.
BIBB is also pressing ahead with the modernisation of dual vocational education and training. Eleven training occupations, some of which have undergone fundamental revision, are being launched to coincide with the beginning of the new training year. This brings the total of dual training occupations developed by BIBB since 1996 to 82. A further 230 occupations have been modernised during the same period.
New training regulations for the following occupations enter into force on 1 August:
- Cooper
- Gunsmith
- Precision machinist
- Geomatics technician
- Milk technologist
- Papier technician
- Equine manager
- Hunting ground supervisor
- Sailmaker
- Technician in heavy-duty fabric goods manufacturing
- Surveying technician
For detailed information on these occupations, please consult the (German language) BIBB brochure "New and modernised training occupations 2010", which may be downloaded free of charge at www.bibb.de/berufe
BIBB analyses and studies have also been published via such outlets as the BIBB REPORT series.
- Issue 14/10: "Money plays a role! Are trainees satisfied with their pay?"
- Issue 11/09: "An improvement in the individual's chances of undergoing vocational training or a pointless holding pattern? The importance and effectiveness of training programmes for the transition from general schooling to vocational training"
- Issue 10/09: "Unfilled training places - why enterprises do not succeed in filling them"
- Issue 09/09: "Many bright spots - but shadows too. The quality of dual vocational training from the trainees' point of view"
- Issue 08/09: "In-company vocational training - a worthwhile investment for enterprises"
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