Hubertus Heil, Germany’s Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, of the SPD party, has said in an interview that many companies are reluctant to offer apprenticeship positions due to the uncertain economic backdrop. “A collapse in the availability of apprenticeships would be fatal for everyone,” the minister says, adding: “That is why I will be presenting a new support system for apprenticeships in March.” In concrete terms, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs intends to significantly increase the amount of training support funding that has been paid to firms training apprentices since the summer of 2020. Through the scheme, small and medium-sized enterprises receive a bonus of €2,000 for the current training year for each new training contract, provided they maintain a constant number of apprentices. If they increase the number of apprentices, they receive a bonus of €3,000 for each additional contract. Hubertus Heil now plans to increase this funding.