In spite of an annual 1.1 million part-time jobseekers in 2009, as well as improved offer from the public authorities in the area of vocational training, German businesses didn’t use their excess “free time” to improve their offer, according to Claudia Bogedan, researcher at the WSI and author of the study entitled “Continuous Training during the Crisis” published in early June 2010. The massive extension of short-time working measures in Germany at the end of 2008, was helped with a government campaign to support continuous education entitled “Train, Don’t Lay off.” Since the end of 2007, the German government has been partially or completely paying for training costs and, depending on cases, part of the salary to businesses appealing to short-time working and willing to improve their employees’ training. According to the Federal Employment Agency however, the number of people who enjoyed the WeGeBau program for employees with a low level of qualifications went from 4,138 in 2007 to 29,000 in mid-2009. The ESF-BA program, launched in the end of 2007 for people who already have a high level of skills, had 15,000 beneficiaries at the same time. In spite of these positive figures, the study shows that they only represent a very small part of the volume of continuous education which is often completely internally managed by businesses. About this, the prospects drawn out by the WCs of German businesses show that “the crisis had a clearly restrictive impact on vocational training.” Only 18% of businesses affected by the crisis improved their offer. However, 81% maintained or reduced their previous training offer. Among those who reduced it (24%), 46% did it to cut spending. In another third of businesses, the people surveyed admit that their company’s management couldn’t identify training needs, for lack of definition or for not identifying what training sessions were necessary. 53% of the businesses interviewed said that they have yet to establish a training and career management program.
pletely internally managed by businesses. About this, the prospects drawn out by the WCs of German businesses show that “the crisis had a clearly restrictive impact on vocational training.” Only 18% of businesses affected by the crisis improved their offer. However, 81% maintained or reduced their previous training offer. Among those who reduced it (24%), 46% did it to cut spending. In another third of businesses, the people surveyed admit that their company’s management couldn’t identify train
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