Young people with a higher education entrance qualification are increasingly discovering vocational education and training

For a long time, dual VET was a domain for lower secondary school leavers. This situation has now fundamentally changed. A new analysis conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has revealed that, in 2016, the Federal Employment Agency registered more training place applicants holding a higher education entrance qualification than applicants with a lower secondary school leaving certificate for the first time in its history. In 2015, companies had already concluded more training contacts with the former group than with the latter.

Rising proportions of trainees in possession of a higher education entrance qualification are being recorded across all areas of responsibility within dual vocational education and training. In 2010 in the craft trades sector, for example, more than one person in two (53.4%) entering training for the first time held a lower secondary school leaving certificate. By 2015, the proportion of trainees with an intermediate secondary school leaving certificate or a higher education qualification (52.3%) was nearly ten percentage points higher than the corresponding proportion of persons in possession of a lower secondary certificate (43.1%). Comparably significant shifts also took place in agriculture. In the public sector, a strong increase of almost ten percentage points in the proportion of young people with a higher education entrance qualification has meant that this group now constitutes an absolute majority (52.6%) of all persons concluding a new training contract.

The significantly larger proportion of persons interested in training and holding a higher education entrance qualification has not merely benefited occupations which were previously typical of this group, such as bank clerk, tax clerk, industrial clerk, digital and print media designer or chemical laboratory technician. Compared to 2010, occupations which have up until now been typical “lower secondary” options, such as roofer, bricklayer, cook or carpenter, have also seen a tangible increase in the number of persons with a higher education qualification as a proportion of those concluding a new training contract. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of “lower secondary occupations” fell from 56 to 48, whereas the corresponding figure for “higher education qualification occupations” rose from 32 to 45. The terms “lower secondary occupation” and “higher education qualification occupation” are used when the proportion of the respective group of pupils in the training occupation in question exceeds 50%.

BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser views the current development as a positive sign that dual vocational education and training is becoming more attractive. “If there are fewer and fewer lower secondary school leavers, then dual VET needs to find more interested parties amongst those with higher school qualifications. This seems to be happening successfully. However, for the future it will be important to attract persons with a higher education entrance qualification more strongly towards occupations which tend to be atypical for this group. This is the only way of preventing increased competition amongst them with the result that a growing proportion will fail to find a training place.”

The number of unsuccessful training place applicants with a higher education entrance qualification has, in fact, risen from 14,000 to 22,300 between 2010 and 2016. “For this reason, we need to reinforce vocational orientation at upper secondary schools to a significant degree,” continued Professor Esser. “Also, we need to make sure that we do not lose sight of young people with a lower secondary school leaving qualification. Their numbers may be lower, but account must still be taken of their training interests and ability. In light of the impending shortage of skilled workers, we need absolutely everybody.”

Differentiated results are included in the BIBB analysis “Growing interest in dual vocational education and training by young people with a higher education entrance qualification. Interest in entering training is higher amongst those in possession of a higher education entrance qualification than amongst those with a lower secondary school leaving qualification for the first time”. This analysis may be downloaded (in German) free of charge from the BIBB website at www.bibb.de/beitrag_studienberechtigte-interessiert-an-berufsausbildung .

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