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Budding cook in Baiersbronn (archive picture)
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Sebastian Gollnow / DPA
The training market in Germany collapsed noticeably in the corona crisis.
By April 2021, both the number of applicants and the number of apprenticeships had decreased significantly compared to the previous year.
This is reported by the Funke media group, citing the Federal Employment Agency.
Accordingly, the number of applicants fell by ten percent in the 2020/21 training year.
By April there were around 345,000 people interested in an apprenticeship position nationwide.
In the same period, the employment agency recorded a five percent decline in the number of apprenticeships available.
The number of registered apprenticeships was recently around 429,800.
In April, 250,000 company training positions were still vacant.
At the same time, 190,000 applicants had not found an apprenticeship position or an alternative in the past month.
Fewer jobs in tourism and hospitality
Detlef Scheele, head of the employment agency, justified this primarily with the corona crisis.
"The fact that there are currently fewer applicants for apprenticeships is not due to lower numbers among school leavers or a lack of interest among young people, but above all to the pandemic," Scheele told the Funke newspapers.
Where schools are closed, careers advice cannot take place in the classroom in the usual way.
There are also hardly any internships offered in companies.
“Some young people therefore go on to school or look for other alternatives.
The uncertainty about how the individual sectors will develop economically may also play a role, "said the head of the authorities.
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According to the Employment Agency, fewer apprenticeships are currently being offered in those industries that are particularly affected by the consequences of the pandemic, such as the hospitality industry and tourism.
Scheele encouraged applicants not to be discouraged despite the pandemic.
Almost everywhere there are currently more apprenticeship positions than interested parties, "the chances are good to find a start into professional life".
At the same time, Scheele appealed to employers "to remain active despite all the challenges in training."
slü / AFP