Germany’s businesses are doing more and more to attract apprenticeship candidates in a bid to fill a growing shortage. Measures including in-house internships, closer ties with the secondary and tertiary education system, support and assistance initiatives for vulnerable youths, periods of time spent abroad, bonuses, and company cars, testify to their variety and are the result of various strategies. Ulrike Friedrich, head of the occupational training unit at The Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) reviewed these measures for Planet Labor.
Falloff in the number of apprenticeship candidates. On 14 June the DIHK rang the alarm bell, when presenting the results of its 2016 apprenticeship survey, its president Eric Schweitzer stated, “The situation facing businesses has never been as serious.” Almost a third (31%) of businesses (and this rises to almost two thirds in the new Länder) weren’t able to fill their apprenticeship places. The equivalent number a decade previously was just 12%. “This drop off in the number of apprenticeships
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