Training during the Covid-19 Pandemic − Obstacles for Businesses and Apprentices (3rd Quarter 2021)
Widely admired around the globe, the dual education system in Germany provides a key to the world of work. However, the coronavirus crisis greatly hampered school-based and on-the-job learning. Working from home and home schooling became the norm. How companies and apprentices dealt with this situation is illuminated by the special questions for the third quarter.
Of participating personnel managers, 76 percent indicated that their company offered apprenticeships. Apprenticeships were most common among the companies surveyed in manufacturing and trade (86 percent and 84 percent respectively). Moreover, the number of companies that offer apprenticeship training increases as employee levels rise. In the 2020/2021 training year, apprenticeships were completed with a qualification at 85 percent of the companies surveyed that offer apprenticeship training. The remaining portion involved the apprentice abandoning their training (10 percent) or being let go by their employer (6 percent).
Apprentices Frequently Kept On after Successful Completion
Around three-quarters of the surveyed companies at which apprenticeships had been completed in the current year subsequently kept on their apprentices. Of these, the majority were given permanent contracts (59 percent), while the remainder (41 percent) received fixed-term contracts. Only 15 percent reported that they did not take on any apprentices who had completed their qualifications. A further 10 percent of companies took on some but not all of their apprentices. Companies that offer apprenticeship training cited inadequate work performance as the main reason for not taking on apprentices (46 percent).
Wellbeing of Apprentices Worsens Due to Pandemic
Apprentices currently make up around 5 percent of the total workforce on average. This group of employees was not only confronted with workplace challenges due to pandemic restrictions, but also had obstacles put in the way of their schooling. Home schooling, distance learning, less contact with other apprentices, and delayed access to a vaccine for adolescents and young adults considerably impacted their everyday lives. This makes it all the more important to address the wellbeing of apprentices. One-fifth of companies could not say whether apprentice wellbeing had worsened, although this response was more common among smaller companies (< 250 employees) than larger ones (> 250 employees). Overall, the remaining four-fifths of companies reported that the wellbeing of apprentices had worsened somewhat as a result of the pandemic (on a scale from 1 “worse” to 5 “better,” the average rating was 2.6).
Companies That Offer Apprenticeship Training Expect Slight Decrease in Performance
To provide optimal support for their apprentices, almost half of companies offered additional supports that would not have existed were it not for the coronavirus crisis. This was most often the case in the service sector (58 percent), while assistance measures also increased with the size of the company (> 500 employees: 71 percent). Because of working from home and home schooling, the principal measure companies undertook was to upgrade the technical equipment for their apprentices (57 percent). With regard to the theoretical and practical performance of their apprentices, companies expect that they will fall slightly compared to a “normal situation without coronavirus.” Just over 15 percent said they did not know. Leaving these companies to one side, the average rating on a scale from 1 (= worse) to 5 (= better) was 2.8. For larger companies with 250 employees or more, this value was slightly lower than for smaller companies. Conversely, this also means that almost nobody expects performance to improve due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Situation in 2021/2022 Training Year
Of companies that offer apprenticeship training, about 36 percent have been able to fill as many apprenticeships in the new year as in the previous year; 16 percent have increased the number of apprentices and 19 percent have decreased it. Meanwhile, 15 percent of companies that usually provide apprenticeship training are not offering any apprenticeships for the 2021/2022 training year and 14 percent of companies were unable to fill any of the apprenticeships offered. Looking at the companies’ industry and size, it becomes clear that among service providers and companies with fewer than 50 employees in particular, apprenticeships are remaining unfilled (19 percent and 23 percent respectively) or are not being offered in the first place (20 percent and 21 percent respectively).
2021 vs. 2020: Difficulties in Filling New Apprenticeship Positions
On the whole, of the companies surveyed that offer apprenticeship training, slightly fewer reported that they were taking on or had taken on the same number of apprentices in 2021 as they had done in 2020. This tendency is most pronounced among the manufacturing enterprises surveyed, with one-quarter saying that they had taken on fewer apprentices this year than the previous year (Q3 2020: 13 percent). Correspondingly, a greater share of companies offering apprenticeship training reported difficulties in filling apprenticeship places this year. While the figure was only 45 percent in last year’s survey, the proportion this year across all industries was 63 percent. Almost all companies that were unable to fill any of their apprenticeship places also reported having had problems in finding apprentices (95 percent). Of those businesses that reduced their number of apprentices, 84 percent reported difficulties in their search.
