Training market is stable

The main results of the analyses conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) into the development of the training market in 2016 show that training supply is stable and demand is falling slightly. They also reveal that there are once again more unfilled training places, and that this has led to a small fall in the number of newly concluded training contracts. The findings are based on the BIBB survey of newly concluded training contracts as of 30 September and on the Training Market Statistics produced by the Federal Employment Agency (BA).

As of the cut-off date, a total of 563,800 training places were on offer. This meant that training place supply remained stable compared to the previous year (+60 or ±0.0 percent). The 546,300 training places made available by companies represented a small increase over the year before (+1,400 or +0.3 percent), whilst extra-company provision once again decreased. Demand for training places reduced slightly compared to the previous year from 2,300 to 600,900 (-0.4 percent). Because training supply remained stable nationwide but demand decreased a little, the training market situation improved from the point of view of the young people.

However, as in the years before, there were increased difficulties in matching up company training supply and the demand of the young people. In 2016, a total of 43,500 company-based training places remained unfilled. This constitutes a rise of 1,900 training places or 4.5 percent compared to the year before. Despite the slightly higher number of company-based training places on offer, the repeated increase in recruitment problems meant that it was not possible to conclude more training contracts.

The number of newly concluded training contracts for 2016 was 520,300. This represents a decrease of 1,800 or 0.4 percent compared to the previous year. The consequence was that the number of company-based contracts remained virtually constant at 502,800 (-500 or -0.1 percent). On the other hand, the number of extra-company contracts fell by 1,300 or 7.0 percent to 17,600.

As in the previous year, the number of training contracts concluded with young women declined, this time by 3,500 or 1.7 percent to fall to a level of only 204,100. By way of contrast, the number of training contracts with young men rose by 1,700 or 0.5 percent to reach 316,200.

This continues a trend which has been discernible for some considerable time. The number of young women interested in vocational education and training is falling. From a level of 381,800 in 2009, this figure decreased by 59,000 or 15.5 percent to 322,800 in 2016. However, interest on the part of young men is almost unchanged. In 2009, the number of male persons registering their interest in entering training was 484,700, whereas the corresponding figure for 2016 is 480,800 (-3,900 or -0.8 percent). In the view of BIBB researchers, the reasons why young females display a lower overall degree of interest in dual vocational education and training include the fact that many young women achieve a higher education entrance qualification and then either go on to higher education study or else opt for other fully qualifying training programmes in areas such as healthcare, education or the social sector.

With regard to the issue of securing a supply of young skilled workers and the declining interest in training by young women, BIBB President Friedrich Hubert Esser emphasised: “We urgently require a reversal of this trend. This can be achieved if we can succeed in further increasing interest in dual VET from those in possession of a higher education entrance qualification whilst also attracting more women towards technical private sector occupations.” He went on to say that although significantly higher numbers of persons with a higher education entrance qualification were already finding their way into dual vocational education and training, improvements still needed to be made with regard to this figure as a proportion of new training contracts. Professor Esser said that similar aims applied in respect of interesting more young women in occupations that had thus far been typically male domains. “This is an area in which we are also beginning to see success in individual occupations, but there is no way that we can content ourselves with this. Dual vocational education and training, which has traditionally been rooted in the craft trades and in industry and not merely in the service sector, needs to be the engine for a modern form of vocational orientation in which traditional gender clichés are no longer of any significance.”

Further information, statistics, tables and graphics on the development of the training market in 2016 are available on the German BIBB website at www.bibb.de/ausbildungsmarkt2016 and at www.bibb.de/naa309-2016 (German only).

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