Training costs and their influence on working careers and firm success
Vocational training costs and their influence on wage histories and operating results
This research project will examine the benefits of apprenticeship training which arise when firms retain their apprentices upon completion of the training period. For former apprentices, these benefits could take the form of stable employment relationship and/or favourable wage prospects. For firms, retaining apprentices can save recruitment costs, lead to low turnover rates and impact on the productivity level of employees even in the medium and long run. Thus, the project addresses the question whether firms' investment in apprenticeship training directly influences the labour market success of former apprentices and whether, in accordance with human capital theory, firms also profit from their investment in the long run. Answering these questions requires information about the (net) costs of apprenticeship training. Further, data on individual employment and wage developments is needed. For this reason, the project team plans to link firm-level data from the 2007 BIBB Cost-Benefits Survey (CBS) with individual data from the Federal Employment Agency (BA). The team also plans to exploit already existing panel data sets that offer complementary information about the costs and benefits of apprenticeship training.
