Almost 70 percent of German apprentices claim to be "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their training. This is evident from the training report 2019 of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB). This is the lowest value since the survey began 13 years ago, said the DGB Federal Youth Secretary Manuela Conte on Thursday in Berlin. Ten years ago, it was still 75.5 percent.
More than a third of respondents complained about regular overtime. Nearly one in eight adolescents under the age of 18 said they were working illegally for more than 40 hours a week - a year ago it was one in ten.
According to the report, there is still "a lot of room for improvement", especially with regard to digitization. Almost one in two apprentices is therefore of the opinion that they are not specifically qualified for digital technologies. One reason might be the digital equipment of the vocational schools, which rated just under a third as "sufficient" or "poor".
Every second cook breaks off the training prematurely
Industrial mechanics, administrative and industrial clerks rated their training best. The worst performers were the cooks, hairdressers, painters, refinishers and hotel managers - who were also rated as medium to very poor in recent years. According to the DGB survey, almost every second cook breaks off the training prematurely.
The blame lies not necessarily with the enterprises, means Ulrike of Albedyll, national managing director of the German hotel and restaurant association registered association in Hamburg. She believes that the high drop-out rate has mainly to do with the fact that many apprentices have false expectations of the apprenticeship: "You see the cook Tim Mälzer casually on TV and think, so would the training run off."
The work as a cook is physically demanding, the guests are now and then critical and the tone in the kitchen sometimes rough - that would not pay attention to many, if they decide for an education.
Regular overtime, pressure from customers
According to the DGB report, working conditions are a cause of dissatisfaction: around 52 percent of cooks and 57 percent of hoteliers said they had to work overtime on a regular basis.
"The industry depends on the guest," says Albedyll. "In addition, the shortage of skilled workers additionally increases that sometimes more needs to be tackled." However, large companies in particular are now trying hard to keep their trainees - for example by sending them abroad to gain experience there.
A look at the job market shows how much businesses rely on young professionals. Of course, there are just under 97 apprenticeships for every 100 young people looking for an apprenticeship. Nevertheless, according to the report, every tenth place remained vacant last year.
"The opportunities for trainees to find another training place are so good these days that they throw in the towel sooner as soon as they are dissatisfied," says Kirsten Kielbassa-Schnepp, who works as an education consultant at the Central Association of German Crafts.
Especially in service professions such as hairdressing or as a painter, this would often be the case: "Unlike dental technicians in the laboratory, trainees on the construction site or in the hairdressing salon are in direct contact with the customers and their expectations." This creates pressure that of course the trainees also feel . "
